The Scrapbook
by Completely Different
Summary: Fearful of Jazz's idolism of the ghost-boy, Maddie tries to protect her daughter by stealing her Phantom scrapbook. But the book sparks strange questions in Maddie's mind, and she finds herself stumbling on secrets she never knew existed. Pre-PP.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **I should be doing something else...but this story leapt out at me and begged to be written. It has a long term plot and everything XD. Anyway, this is based around that scrapbook we see Jazz working on in 'Forever Phantom'.

No PP, post D-Stabilized.

**Update: 11/8/2011**: I've started going through the first couple chapters, and just proof-reading them a little bit, since the earlier chapters didn't have a beta and I was a little lax about grammatical errors and the like. So no significant changes to the writing, but hopefully there will be less distractions.

**The Scrapbook:**

The room was a mess.

The bed was unmade, and covered with notes and a half open satchel. But it was nothing compared to the desk; papers were strewn everywhere, and Maddie wondered how anything could be found in that dump. Pencil shavings were all across the computer's keyboard, and she found several mugs which contained coffee sludge.

She smiled ruefully, and picked a cup off her daughter's desk. If she'd come into her son's room and seen it in such disarray, she was have been annoyed, to say the least. But Jazz was usually neat and organised, and Maddie knew this disorder was being caused by the stress of senior year and university applications. Maddie felt sorry for her.

Jazz was out right now- after some pestering, Maddie had finally got the girl out the door. "You've got to relax a little, sweetie- you'll drive yourself insane if you don't."

So Jazz got one night with her friends, and Maddie got a chance to help her out a little, even if it was just taking away the dirty dishes from her room.

She rummaged through the papers, smiling when she saw a few things she recognised from her short stint at psychology at university. It _was _an interesting topic, Maddie thought- she wouldn't mind getting back into it. She found herself flipping through the pages, skim reading her daughter's notes. News articles, journal entries, photocopies- and then one paper which stood out from the rest.

It was cut from a news paper- not exactly surprising, really. What made it stand out was the brightly coloured picture of a ghost, smiling daringly up at her. Danny Phantom.

She dug deeper into the papers, and found it lying next to a black sketch-book. Maddie pulled it out and opened in; her mouth twitched in annoyance.

It was a Phantom scrapbook. For the past few months, Maddie had seen Jazz working on it. She was always collecting Phantom memorabilia for it; there were news cuttings, photos printed off the internet, ghost-art, pictures of those ridiculous Phantom plushies, and even the lyrics of what appeared to be a fan made theme-song. Every time she'd seen it, irritation had flared up. Each time, Maddie had pushed it away. But now, finding that scrapbook here, with Jazz working on it when she should be concentrating on school work, Maddie found herself actually angry at the sight of it.

She knew that Phantom was popular among the younger crowd. He was good looking, and powerful, and just the type of charismatic young man that most teenagers either idolize or crush on- even if every ounce of common sense and reason says they shouldn't. And yes, he certainly put up a good public face.

But Maddie never would have believed that _Jazz_ would fall for him.

She'd always had a tight head on her shoulders- she was brutally realistic. Jazz had never even seriously crushed on any movie stars. But quite honestly, Maddie would prefer she crush on any of them, even the most superficial, compared to the ghost boy.

Most superstars were irritable, egotistical, and as shallow as hell. But at least they were _human. _And none of them had ever tried to murder anyone. Phantom had in fact tried to murder _them_, personally. Maddie simply could not believe she looked up to this creature in any way, shape, or form. How on earth could Jazz believe the half-baked lies of some glamorous ghost, compared to the actions she'd witnessed firsthand? Didn't she realise how powerful and manipulative Phantom was?

It was dangerous. Maddie shivered, imagining what such a creature could do.

She wished she could make Jazz realise that.

But now she stood in Jazz's room, one of her daughter's most private possessions in her hands. It was her journal, but it was filled with pictures of a vile ecto-entity. One which could put her horrible danger. She was all alone- no one could see her. And so, Maddie did something that went completely against her principles. She took it.

Now she stood in Jazz's room, with one of her daughter's most private possessions in her hand.

_It won't do much,_ Maddie thought, and she stole it away to her own bedroom. She opened one of the lowest drawers, where Jack's T-shirts resided_. But hopefully, it will take some of Phantom's influence away from her_. And neither Jack nor Jazz would find it there- her husband never wore anything but his jumpsuit, and Jazz was too trusting and respectful of her parents to go rummaging through their things.

_Besides, searching through private possessions is what I do,_ thought Maddie with guilt.

She shook her head, and tucked the scrapbook inside a red shirt. Carefully, she closed the drawer, sealing the book in side. She smiled gravely at her work. She felt almost as though it were Phantom himself she'd captured.


	2. Chapter 2

A big thank you to everyone who reviewed and favourited my story. You guys are awesome!

This chapter is longer than I expected, but the next one's going to be kind of short, so I guess I'm making up for it in advance.

**The Scrapbook**

Although annoyance and fear about Jazz's idolism over the ghost boy continued to prickle at her, Maddie quickly forgot about the scrapbook. Or, at least, she _tried_ to forget. She'd known for some time that Jazz believed the ghost-boy to be good. The scrapbook was creepy, and probably one of the biggest disagreements Jazz had with her parents, but it was just that- another disagreement. But while she knew that, Maddie couldn't help but feel that the scrapbook made it more permanent and real.

And the scrapbook scared her with its blind idolism. And it didn't help that every time she went into her room, Maddie felt it there. Guilt would surge through her. Most of her wanted to forget it existed, but part of her wouldn't.

Still, Maddie tried her best to push it to the back of her mind. But the world was obviously against her, since the scrapbook was flung right to the front again, little more than a week later.

It was a Friday evening, and everything was pretty quiet in the Fenton household. Jack was bent over the kitchen table, tinkering on one of his new inventions- one of the only times when he was near silent. Maddie had her hair tucked behind her ears, and was doing her best to make supper without creating a new form of life. The kitchen was filled with the smell of machine-oil, tomato sauce and ectoplasm.

These were the times Maddie treasured most; Just the family, doing what they loved. No ghosts to chase; a quiet evening at home. She wished the kids would come down and join her in the moment- that would be perfect.

As if they'd heard her thoughts, it was less than five seconds later when Maddie heard their voices drifting towards her from the hallway. But their tone was a little off, and a surreptitious quality of it made Maddie's hand tighten on the stirring spoon.

They were speaking in that tone of voice that wasn't a whisper, but not asking to be overheard, either. Maddie pricked her ears.

"...you know that scrapbook I was making?"

"Yeah- and I'm really sorry about the last one, Jazz," Danny said, sounding apologetic.

Maddie imagined the red-head shrugging. "No problem- I know it wasn't your fault. No, I was wondering if you'd seen it anywhere."

"I don't _think _so...why?"

"It's gone missing." She sighed, and Maddie heard her footsteps approaching. She hurriedly got back to supper. "I've been so busy lately that I can't keep track of where I'm putting things...it's driving me crazy! What's for supper?"

Her change in tone was quick, and took Maddie by surprise. Her eye's flickered towards her daughter, who had seated herself on a chair at the kitchen table.

"Spaghetti!" Jack said cheerfully, beaming up from his work. Danny slinked over to her, and peered hesitantly into the saucepan she was working on. After a moment, he nodded; satisfied that it was the normal reddish-brown of tomato sauce, and not glowing green.

"Smells great," he said.

Maddie was still thinking over the conversation she'd just over-heard. She had felt a pang of guilt when she'd heard that Jazz was looking for the scrapbook. She'd never deceived her children, and even though this wasn't a technically a lie, she still felt horrible for messing with Jazz's possessions.

Danny apparently knew about the scrapbook too, and judging by his tone, he wasn't creeped out by it in the least. That was the last thing she'd expected. She knew Danny wasn't a fan of the ghost boy, and became subdued and moody whenever they talked about him- but then, Phantom had stolen his face. He had a right to feel nervous about the subject. But he seemed to have no negative feelings about Jazz's scrapbook. Maddie would at least have expected some teasing about Jazz 'crushing' of Phantom- wasn't that what little brothers did?

Maybe he's just resigned to it, she thought. But Maddie wasn't- as a mother and a scientist it was her job to teach Jazz the truth.

"Well, it's almost done- mind setting the table?" she said, pulling herself back to reality. Supper first, ghosts later.

Dinner passed uneventfully. The children wolfed down their food quickly, in order to get to the piles of work they each had. She and Jack kept up the conversation, talking about the latest ghost-hunting protocol they'd been reading about. It was fascinating stuff, and once again Maddie wished her children showed more interest in the area.

They were still discussing it as they cleaned up after supper, although in between the voice of the news-anchor. It was a Fenton tradition to listen to the news after supper, because as Jack put it, "What you don't know can hurt you!"

Suddenly, through their conversation, broke in Amity Park's signature 'Ghost Watch' theme. The eyes of every single Fenton snapped up to the TV.

Over the last two years, ghost attacks had become a daily occurrence, almost to the point where the media hardly took any notice. The fact that it was getting a slot on the prime-time news told them that either it was a really slow news day, or this was a big one.

"Lance Thunder, here," said a handsome news anchor on the television. He was standing on a street in some part of downtown Amity Park, and kept looking nervously over his shoulder. In the background, you could hear a strange chattering. "Down-town seems to be experiencing some heavy traffic due to ecto-activity. It appears that a plague of ghostly rodents are storming the area and..."

Thunder jumped back with a squeak as a small, green creature whizzed by. Danny gave a sound like a snort. "_Ferrets_?"

"...although they appear to be mostly harmless, we urge the public to stay calm and avoid the area. ACCCK!"

The family had one last vision of the anchorman, with a glowing ferret perched on his head, before they cut back to the studio. "Let's get 'em!" shouted Jack, already brandishing a gun. "Those ecto-rats are about to be exterminated! Come on, Mads!"

Maddie pulled on her goggles, a look of grim determination on her face. "Already on it, Jack."

"You guys need any help?" asked Jazz.

Both her parents shook their heads. "Don't you worry about us," Jack boasted. "We'll clean those ghosts up in a jiffy!"

Neither of them noticed how Jazz was actually looking at Danny, or how she smiled when he gave a small shake of his head. "Okay...you be careful, then."

"We will, sweetie!" Maddie pecked both children on the cheek, and rushed out of the door. It was time to go hunting.

oOoOoOoOo

The hunt. As a ghost researcher, Maddie loved all the parts of the job- the thrill of discovery, the satisfaction of a job well done, the joy of helping others...but there was nothing quite like the hunt. The adrenaline pumping through your veins, the weight of a gun on your shoulder, feeling your muscles moving- it was an experience unlike any other.

She paused in an alleyway, ecto-rifle in hand. She took a deep breath. She'd been at it for over two hours, and although she wasn't tired yet, she was getting a little bit frustrated. There were tonnes of ghost rodents, and for every one she captured, another three popped up in its place. And they were fast as _hell._

Thankfully, they weren't vicious- most of the time. They just ran around squeaking, making a nuisance. Except when you scared them- then they would grow twice their normal size, and growl darkly at you, before lunging in for an attack.

A bite on one arm had taught her this. She'd shot at the creature from afar, wounding it to a stop. When she'd approached, ready to finish the ghost off, it had gone wild. The creature had jumped at her, attacking her savagely. She'd gotten it eventually, though, and learnt a valuable lesson- _Do not scare the ferrets. _

She heard something moving down at the other end of the alley. Her eyes narrowed, and she tried to see into the blackness. A pair of red eyes met hers.

She approached slowly, cautiously, making as little noise as possible. She saw something shuffling in the distance. She wished the creature was glowing more brightly, to give her light- but the ferret was too weak, and she was left blundering in the dark.

Finally, Maddie began to corner in on the creature. She raised the gun, ready to stun it. The ghost was chewing on a piece of old garbage, and didn't even notice her.

Her finger was on the trigger, and she was just about to shoot, when a voice rang out from above.

"I've caught- I don't know...about thirty, so far."

She paused. The rodent looked up, and its red eyes narrowed on her. It took in her stance, and some primal instinct told the ghost that it was being hunted. Maddie knew immediately that it was scared, and angry- and angry rodents were dangerous, especially if they were undead ones. But despite the threat facing her, her mind was locked on the voice above her.

She recognised it immediately- it was Phantom's.

She cast a quick look above her, keeping one eye on the rodent, which was approaching slowly (and was growing in size, too). The ghost boy floated above her, hanging in the air, apparently unaware that she was below.

"We've caught most of them; I just want to call it a night..." He paused, and then gave something resembling a growl. "I'm not being a wuss! I just don't like chasing down mice on a Friday evening….. And no, I don't care that they're not actually related to mice."

_Who is he talking to?_ Maddie asked herself. But her interest in Phantom was battling with the need for self preservation, as the ghost-ferret was slowly advancing. The hair on its back was standing up, making it appear larger- not that it was needed. It was now dog-seized, and Maddie couldn't help noticing how large its teeth were.

Maddie knew she should shoot, and get the ghost-ferret now. But if she did, Phantom would surely hear the gun, and vanish. For now, she was in the perfect position to spy on, and perhaps even catch, the ghost boy.

"Yeah-let's head home. Want me to pick you guys...up...?"

His voice trailed off as the rodent gave a menacing growl. Now it looked more like a monster than a ferret, with bulging red eyes, and saliva dripping from its mouth. Maddie's eyes were locked on the creature. Above her, she could sense the ghost moving around in confusion, looking for the source of the noise.

"M- Maddie!" Phantom yelled.

_Fire! _She screamed at herself, and pulled the trigger. A green blast shot from the gun, hitting the ferret dead on, throwing it backwards. It got up and shook itself off, and gave a low snarl. It was preparing to attack again- and so was Maddie.

More green blasts rained from above. "Not so fast, Mickey," Phantom taunted from the sky. The beast squealed, and leapt into the air. The creature was quick and fast, even faster than Phantom, and he only got a few hits in on it.

Maddie added her own shots into the fray- although, she didn't particularly care which ghost she hit.

"Ow!" Phantom complained, as she hit him on the leg. "I'm trying to _help, _here."

"I don't need your help, ghost!"

He ignored her, and kept shooting. She did, too, but took a moment to look at the ghost boy. Where was the person he'd been speaking too?

She saw it. On his head- was that a headphone? Yes, it was! And it looked like a Fenton-Phone!

Anger surged through her. The ghost boy was stealing their equipment? Angrily, she shot with extra force.

"Woah!" the ghost boy swerved to avoid her shot, then dodged the rabid flying ferret. His hands glowed blue, and he froze the ghost solid. It plummeted to the ground. Maddie shot once, twice, as Phantom tried to duck. He began to fly away.

"Glad I could help," he said sarcastically, and disappeared into the night.

She and Jack got back home half-an-hour later, pulling along a thermos full of ghosts, and one frozen ghost ferret, which they'd stored in the GAV's on-board freezer. Maddie sighed in exhaustion, and rubbed the bite on her arm absently.

Jazz greeted them from the top of the stairs. "You're home sooner than I thought."

"Yeah, well, it was easy!" Jack boasted, hefting in the ferret-popsicle. "The TV made it look as though there were more than there actually was. But we caught them all! Yep!"

Maddie paused, Phantom's voice drifting back from her memory. _"I don't know...I've caught about thirty, so far." _

Had Phantom been out hunting the ghost ferrets, too? Why on earth would he be doing that? To protect his perceived territory? And who had he been talking to? Had they been catching the creatures as well?

Anger at the fact that the ghost boy was using their equipment pounded at her. It was obvious that they needed to update their security. They'd always assumed that ghosts would be too scared to go into a den of ghost hunters, but that was obviously false. Maybe they needed to put a permanent ghost shield on the artillery closet.

And she was still angry for letting the ghost-boy get away.

Maddie started up the stairs, feeling drained. She often felt that way after an encounter with Phantom. It was something _about _that ghost, and how strange he was. She wondered vaguely if he had confusion powers.

"You coming down to the lab, Maddie?" Jack boomed from the kitchen. Maddie heard him rummaging through a bag of chips. "I want to do some experiments on these babies!"

"Maybe later," she said wearily. "I've got to clean up a bit. You start without me."

Jazz tagged along behind her, looking slightly worried. Her hair was messy, and the distant look in her eyes told Maddie she'd been doing more studying. "You okay, mom? You seem a bit off."

She smiled wearily. "No- just a bit tired."

Jazz pursed her lips, looking sympathetic. "Okay, mom. Maybe you should have shower, or something. That always calms me down."

Maybe she _would_ do that. Jazz usually had good ideas about dealing with stress, despite how ramped out the girl could become sometimes. A nice, hot shower would be wonderful, and maybe it would help her sort out her thoughts. She headed over to the bedroom, making sure to pop in on Danny and his friends first.

She had a long shower, allowing the warm water to roll over her body. It soaked into her, refreshing both her head and muscles, washing away the exhaustion. Feeling better, Maddie got out of the shower, and dried herself off, then went to look at her arm. Yes, it was definitely damaged from the fight. She cleaned it off with disinfectant, wincing slightly as the alcohol stung. It wasn't a bad wound- just a small puncture, but Maddie knew she should keep an eye on it. Ghost wounds could act very strangely.

_Ghosts_ could act very strangely, too.

Okay, she though, sitting on her bed, robe wrapped around her. That wasn't true. Most ghosts acted exactly as she expected them: Violent, unsympathetic, un-subtle, and often based around a single obsession. Almost every single ghost acted that way- with the exception of the Ghost Boy.

In the beginning, he had acted just the way he should. He attacked people, damaged property, stole, and made himself an all-around menace. And then, after months of acting this way, he changed, suddenly putting on the 'I'm good' facade. At certain points, he was an amazing actor, and played the role with ease- but then he would slip up, and badly. Maddie had no idea how the rest of the town could not notice them. He claimed every single one of his bad deeds was accident or framing- and Maddie just couldn't believe that was true. Not when every scrap of evidence she had said otherwise. And she feared the day he gave up on the act and showed the town who he really was.

But incidents like tonight still confused her.

When the ghost had seen that she was in trouble, why had he appeared to help her? Was it another fruitless attempt to gain her trust? Maybe Phantom was bored, and felt like using his aggression by pounding ghost ferrets to a pulp.

She sighed. Phantom was an enigma. If only she had a detailed record of his actions. Maybe then she could find some pattern in his behaviour, and start working things out…

Her eyes flickered to the bottom drawer.

_It does have a record of his battles, _part of her mind whispered.

"No." She spoke aloud to herself.

She may have taken her daughter's scrapbook, but she would not look through it. That was an invasion of privacy she would not do. Besides, if she wanted information on the ghost boy, the scrapbook would hardly be the place to look. It was too biased, for one; it would just be filled with how _amazing _Phantom was.

She was a scientist. She dealt with facts.

She did not go through her children's private possessions.

Once again, her eyes were pulled to the drawer. "No," she said again.

Her curiosity about Phantom flickered. Her fear for Jazz whispered in her head. Surely one look wouldn't hurt?

Maddie got onto her knees and opened the drawer.


	3. Chapter 3

I'd like to start out this chapter with a big thank you to Kagome51, my new beta! She's been really awesome in smoothing this chapter out with me, and killing those pesky spelling errors.

And, another big thank you for all the reviews and favourites.

**The Scrapbook**

The book was large and pink, and fit comfortably in her lap; it was the type of book she'd worked on as a kid, spending happy mornings cutting and pasting. But Maddie held it in front of her, as though at any moment it might grow fangs and attack her.

Half of her wanted to look in the book- purely in the interest of science, of course. The rest wanted to put it back where she found it, and never look at it again.

The first half won.

She opened it, taking a quick peek at the first page, looking through it quickly. Many of the pages were ripped, but Jazz, with her usual perfection, had used tape and picture placement so well it was hardly noticeable.

There were plenty of things about Phantom, but almost nothing Maddie could actually stand- but then, what had she expected? There was one small article about the strange 'Inviso-Bill', but almost all the ones after that were from when he'd officially been named 'Danny Phantom', and the media went from fearing him to cheering him. Most of the articles were too biased for her to even read- and the less said about the fan works, the better.

Still, that's why she was doing this. To read the articles.

_I'll only read the articles- I'll ignore everything else._

But Maddie kept finding herself getting distracted. Because Phantom wasn't the only thing in the scrapbook- it was also a detailed collage of Jazz's personal life. An old report card with straight As, a picture from her 18th birthday party, she and Danny hugging, the latter wearing a Santa hat. Colours and moments from her life, spilling out across the page; all those Hallmark moments that Jazz cherished. All of them, punctured by the ghost boy.

Each picture of Phantom stabbed at her. How did Phantom get a place next to Jazz's most special memories?

She kept pushing her sentiments down. That was not what she was here for. She was here to try to document Phantom's actions; that was it.

And, if she was purely honest with herself, Maddie didn't want to think about the fact that this was Jazz's scrapbook. It hurt too much.

She focused on the articles, trying to ignore everything else. But it was impossible not to notice all the photos from Jazz's life. They started to blur together. 'Phantom- Ghoul or Guardian?' Her two children beamed up at her. 'Heroism from the Ghost Boy?' A snapshot from a barbecue last summer. 'Phantom Stops School Attacks'. Jazz dressed up for a party, looking radiant.

As she read, one particularly ludicrous article stood out. It was titled 'A Lucky Girl for a Ghost?' and was all about Phantom's dating prospects. It made it seem like anyone with two X chromosomes was lusting after the ghost boy. There was even an interview with Paulina Sanchez, who Maddie recognised from Danny's year. The whole piece made Maddie want to laugh and cry at the same time.

There was a little post-it note on the article- the scrawl written on it was obviously Danny's. "Does this have to be in here?" Danny had written, and Maddie couldn't help but agree with him. Jazz had simply replied with a smiley face.

It was hard to focus when reminders that this was Jazz's book kept popping up. With each one she'd feel guilty at what she was doing, but also sadness at the fact that Jazz adored Phantom so much. It hurt to see her children growing up next to Phantom.

She paused. Something niggled in her sub-conscious, something important about that. _What?_

Maddie looked down at the book, staring at the pictures. She flicked back a few pages. There was a picture from almost a year ago, with Danny, Jazz, Sam and Tucker smiling up at her. Next to it was a photograph of Phantom. She focused on them. Something...something seemed off.

And then it hit her. _Growing._ All the teenagers from the photo looked younger- living and dead alike.

She stared hard at Phantom. It had to be her imagination. Ghosts didn't age.

But no, it was true. She flipped forward, comparing a newer picture to this one. They were both grainy, but there were small differences- in the old picture his edges were softer, less angular. He didn't look as muscular. His glow even appeared a little fainter. Phantom was younger.

She kept turning back, looking at the pictures, flipping through the past. Every single one seemed to confirm it- the farther back she went, the younger Phantom looked. It was a subtle difference, but it was there.

Already Maddie was starting to calculate what this meant. Ghosts are creatures of energy and emotion, and their appearances reflect that. The fact that Phantom was changing said that his power must be growing...but never had she seen a change like this. They were always obvious and dramatic, like in colour or size. But this, this was gradual, and almost seemed to be following human growth patterns.

She shook her head, and water splattered from her still damp hair. She had to be wrong- Phantom 'growing' in a linear pattern was impossible.

She flipped to the front of the book, where presumably the oldest pictures would be. That page had no articles, so she'd ignored it the first time. Now she noticed the large picture of Phantom in the middle, grinning boldly up at her. She looked it over, inspecting his face and body, ignoring everything else. It was an older picture, she could tell- Phantom didn't have his signature emblem yet. It was an incredibly clear photo, an old fashioned Polaroid, not from a news-cutting or the internet. The clarity made it more obvious than ever that Phantom looked to be several years younger than he was now. It defied all logic, but somehow it was true.

Maddie stared blankly, in shock. This would shake the whole field! How had no one ever noti-

Wait a minute.

Maddie had been so wrapped up in studying the ghost's face and body, that she hadn't even noticed the rest of the picture. Phantom took up most of the frame, it was true, but the background behind him was still visible. A whirling vortex of green lit him up from behind. Emerald reflections bounced off dark tiles. And now that she noticed it, Maddie recognised the place immediately- it was the Fenton laboratory.

It was their lab, and Phantom was floating there, looking as confident as ever.

An icy coldness swept through her. Yes, she'd known that Phantom had been in her lab- but this was years old. How long had he been breaching their security? 

And how secure could he feel if he took photos of himself in the lab? But even more worrying- who took the photos for him? Another ghost? Why would he even want pictures?

But while all of these thoughts ran through her head, one last question screamed through Maddie's brain. How did Jazz get this photo?

Maddie was afraid she knew the answer.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey, guys, sorry for the long wait with this chapter. My life is going through a busy period, with a giant workload, an upcoming series of performances, and a recent death in the family, which has hit us all pretty hard.

But I've got the chapter finished. I'd like to give another big thank you to Kagome51, who's being an amazing beta.

**The Scrapbook**

Jasmine had been with the ghost boy.

She didn't want to believe it. But the more she thought about it, the clearer her conclusion became.

At first, Maddie had told herself she was over-reacting. A single picture in a scrapbook could hardly be counted as proof. But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered strange occurrences and actions from the past.

She had remembered that day over two years ago, during the first major ghost invasion. She had been trying to quench the assault, shooting ghosts right and left with the new Fenton Bazooka. Jack, in a rare show of competence, had had Phantom in his sight. Suddenly, Jazz had fallen on him; his shot missed completely. Jazz had shrugged it off with a simple "oops".

Maddie had thought it a mistake. But how often had things like that happened? Maddie could think of dozens of times where Jazz had 'slipped', destroying her aim on Phantom. She'd never given the incidents any second thought, but now, looking back with suspicion, it looked like Jazz was defending the ghost.

And somehow, Jazz had gotten that Polaroid photo. And Phantom didn't exactly go around showering pictures of himself around town. For the most well known ghost in America, he was also the most reclusive.

Jazz had always been a vehement supporter of how good Phantom was. She had hardly even accepted that ghosts existed, and suddenly, Phantom was her greatest hero. How had she come to that conclusion? Maddie had always assumed that she'd simply been swept away with the media. But now, a more sinister alternative was emerging...

She had this horrible image of Phantom, coming to her daughter in the dead of night- sweet and charming, claiming his innocence. What teenage girl wouldn't fall for him? And all the facts fit: Jazz's support of him, her sudden interest in ghosts, and all the pictures of him in the scrapbook. Even that ludicrous article about Phantom falling for human women; was that Jazz's desperate wish? Or maybe it was included through some twisted sense of irony.

And Maddie could see why Phantom would choose Jazz to prey on. She was the daughter of two ghost hunters, two of Phantom's greatest foes. What better way to get past security than befriending their child?

oOoOoOoOo

"Maddie- What are you doing?"

She looked up from her work. She had been screwing a piece of equipment onto the wall. Screwing was usually a delicate procedure, but she was so worked up that the screws kept falling out of their holes. "Installing a ghost shield on the weapons vault."

"Extra protection, huh?" Jack said happily. "Good idea, Mads! Not that any ghost would ever attempt to penetrate the lab of the Fentons!"

She gave him a tight smiled. "Better safe than sorry...after this, I'm installing a genetic lock on the door."

Jack raised a giant eyebrow.

"But Mads- most people don't even know we _have _a weapons vault."

She shrugged.

Maddie hoped she was being overly paranoid, that she was over-reacting. Because not only was she installing a permanent ecto-shield and genetic lock on the artillery closet, she'd already counted up every piece of equipment they had. Fourteen thermoses, three bazookas, five specter deflectors, nine ecto-rifles, one Fenton Finder...if even a lipstick ray went missing, she'd know. And she'd also know that only four people could have taken it. If one showed up in the hands of a ghost, she would notice.

But Maddie desperately hoped nothing would. Because then, Maddie knew, there could only  
be one explanation for how the ghost got it- from inside help.

The inside help being Jazz.

Otherwise, she once again tried to forget about the scrapbook, and get on with her life. She would not let half-baked suspicions about her own family control her. She continued to keep the house in order, design new weapons, and deal with her new theory of Phantom's aging. Maddie did not look at the scrapbook again, though, and got all of her pictures off the internet.

It hurt, though, because every time she thought about the theory, she thought about the scrapbook, and she thought about Jazz...Jazz, who she was now afraid was co-operating with Phantom.

It was driving her up the wall. She found no real proof to back this idea, but the suspicion was grating on her. In everything that Jazz did, Maddie began to see an ulterior motive. When she went out to the library, Maddie was afraid she was meeting the ghost boy. In the lab, every strange sound was Phantom, invading their home. One time, she even thought she heard Jazz speaking to Phantom- but when she burst into the girl's room, all she found was Jazz and Danny, talking.

Jazz had noticed the change; she seemed saddened and frightened by it. Although the two of them had not always agreed, they'd always been close. Maddie couldn't bear the thought of Jazz betraying the family, and every time she saw Jazz gazing sadly at her, she felt horrible.

_I'm going crazy_, she thought one evening. She rinsed her face in the mirror.

There were large bags under her eyes; Maddie hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days. _I can't keep treating myself and Jazz like this_.

She'd never acted this way with anyone in her family- let alone Jazz. She had always been a poster child for wonderful. Always back by curfew, straight A's, never fighting with her brother...and now, suddenly, Maddie wasn't sure if she could trust her.

And she hated it.

She was inspecting her wound. It still hurt; she winced whenever she moved the arm. Maddie was accustomed to pain, but she found it more annoying than usual. But she was finding everything more annoying than usual- the itchiness of the bed sheets, how dirty the kitchen was, the fact that Danny got another detention...her suspicion at Jazz was making her crazy.

_I'm making something out of nothing_, she tried to console herself. It didn't work much. Part of Maddie recognized that she was being irrational; her mind was feeding on its own fears, making projections of things that weren't there. But that fear was still present. The accusation would not die.

But the stress and guilt was killing her.

She'd never been like this with her kids. If something was wrong, she talked about it. Bad grades, chores not done, rudeness- they were all dealt with. Why wasn't she doing that now? Just asking Jazz straight up? She'd save herself the stress of looking for something that wasn't there.

Because I don't want it to be true, she thought to herself. What if Jazz admitted that she was 'friends' with the ghost boy?

When she'd first found out, she'd decided to play it safe. Wait and watch; if Jazz was at all involved with Phantom, she'd find out. Teenagers could only do so much in their house without being noticed.

The phone rang. Maddie jumped, broken out of her thoughts. She quickly dried her hands on a towel, and rushed out of the bathroom, towards the phone. It was a call from Mr. Lancer, Danny's teacher. Apparently Danny had disappeared from class- again- and gone for a whole two periods before returning. Danny hadn't bothered to tell either her or Jack.

It hurt. At this point, most parents would be desensitized to their son's bad behavior. But every time, it still hurt Maddie. Because she knew, despite everything, Danny was a good kid. She couldn't help but blame herself for the bad grades and mysterious absences. _Maybe if I'd been a better mother, I could have helped him sooner._

Danny's life wasn't in ruin. It was patchy, but there. But suddenly Maddie had an image of Phantom messing with Jazz's life, toying with her emotions...could the ghost boy wreck Jazz's life, too?

She had stood in the hall; hand over the phone, her conversation with Mr. Lancer still ringing in her ears. She didn't want to do it- but being a parent didn't always mean doing what you wanted. And even if the guilt and suspicion was bad, it was nothing compared to the fear for her child.

With one last look at the phone, Maddie started up the stairs, towards Jazz's room.

She knocked hesitantly at the door, and Jazz looked up. "Can I talk with you?"

"Sure mom," Jazz said happily, swiveling the chair around. "What's up?"

Maddie hung hesitantly in the doorway, and then took a step forward. She wasn't sure how to begin. "Jazz...you know I've always trusted you, right?"

The girl's blue eyes narrowed. Whether it was how naturally perceptive Jazz was, or that sixth sense all teenagers possessed, she began to feel wary. Her mother's tone worried her. "Yes."

"And I still want to be able to trust you."

Now her wariness was blossoming into full alarm. "And you still can."

"...Can I?"

Jazz gave a large sigh, and stared sadly at her mother. "Mom, what's this about? For the past week, all you've done is give me weird looks and sideways glances, and I don't know why."

"I know- and, it's silly, really." Maddie shook her head. Time to take the leap of faith. "But I need to know. Jazz- do you have anything to do with the ghost boy?"

Jazz froze, her face locked. She looked like the deer in the headlights.

"Wh-what ghost boy?" she garbled out quickly.

Maddie's fists tightened. "You know very well which ghost boy. Danny Phantom. Jasmine, do you have anything to do with him?"

Jazz's eyes were flickering nervously from side to side; she started fidgeting with the papers in her hand. "Phantom- nothing! What makes you think that?" 

"Jasmine." Maddie's voice was like iron. "Do not play me. You are a horrible liar."

It was true; ever since she was little, Jazz couldn't tell a single convincing lie. Still, she tried to pull herself together. "I'm- I'm not lying. What proof do you have, anyway?"

"Your scrapbook, I think, qualifies."

"My scrapbook?" Jazz's eyes narrowed, and her body tensed. "What about my scrapbook?"

Before, this would have sent a wave of guilt crashing through Maddie: now she hardly felt anything at all. Jazz was nervous, and now Maddie was a lion, coming in for the kill. "Your scrapbook does not matter. What does matter the fact that you've been co-operating with the ghost boy."

But Jazz was her mother's daughter, and she wasn't going down without a fight. She had come to her feet, and was staring at her mother with stony resolve.

"What's any of this got to do with my scrapbook?"

"You're evading the question, Jasmine." As her mother, Maddie knew all her tricks, and would not fall for them. "If you must know- I took it. I was afraid that your obsession over Danny Phantom was dangerous- and I was right.

"I looked through it- maybe it was wrong of me," she said, seeing Jazz preparing to interrupt. "But it was the right thing to do. Because how else would you manage to get a photo of Phantom from our lab?"

That put the teenager off balance- but not for long. "One picture, mom? That's hardly basis for an accusation, especially seeing how easily doctored they are."

"That's not the only evidence I have."

"Oh?" Jazz seemed distressed; she was wringing her hands fearfully, and there was something desperate and feral in her eyes. "And what's that?"

"How does Phantom keep getting our equipment? How come he so often escapes us? I haven't noticed how often you 'accidently' bump into me when I'm shooting at him."

"Circumstantial evid-"

"No!" Maddie broke in. She looked dangerous; red hair stormed around her, and she towered over the girl's form. "I didn't want to believe it, but your reaction proves it. The truth is, your silly crush is putting this whole family in danger!"

"_Crush_?" Jazz chocked out, looking incredulous.

"Yes- a crush. Jasmine, I understand you're a teenager, and that it's easy to fall for a handsome face. But that hardly justifies you going behind your parents' backs and conspiring with a dangerous ecto-entity."

"Ecto-entity?" she asked angrily. "You think that just because I'm helping a hero like Phantom out, I must have _feelings _for him? Do you know how _wrong_ that is?"

Maddie had caught her mistake before her daughter even realised what she said.

"Helping him?"

Jazz gave a little gasp, and snapped her mouth shut. For a moment, they were both silent; they stared at each other. Their gazes were intense. The emotions were so similar; betrayal, fear and disappointment.

Jasmine spoke first. "So," she said sadly. "You took my scrapbook, and invaded my privacy. Now you've manipulated me, and are using the information I gave you to further your own narrow-minded view. Great, mom."

Maddie softened. Despite what she had done, Jazz was the victim here- being used by the ghost boy. He had manipulated her- that was the only reason a rational girl like Jazz would act this way. A desperate urge to protect, to explain, rose up in her.

"Sweetie- listen to me." Maddie took a step towards her daughter. "I know it seems like I'm being harsh. But everything I'm doing is to protect you, to protect this family, and-"

"No."

It was not loud. It was not screamed, it was not filled with rage. But all the same, the reply was angry. Jazz did not look like a teenager; she spoke with the certainty of age. Her eyes were cold slivers of ice.

"You want to protect this family? Then you should stop making a_ssumptions_, and actually _look_ at what's going on around you."

And with that, the young lady walked grimly past her mother and out of the room, leaving Maddie with a hollow feeling inside.


	5. Chapter 5

She sat there for a while, in Jazz's room. When the teenager had left, Maddie had dropped onto her bed, and just thought for a while. For all the suspicion, Maddie had never really, truly, believed that Jazz was seeing Phantom. She had never fully accepted it; even now she was having trouble with the idea. And for some reason, Maddie had assumed that whatever was going on with Jazz, all it would take was a conversation with her, and she'd finally see the problem. The Jazz would be willing to listen, to see sense.

But Phantom's hold on her was so strong- Jazz truly seemed to care for him. And how could Maddie protect her daughter when Jazz wouldn't let her? She sat there for a long time, before finally getting up. Maddie drifted into the lab, feeling cold and listless. This place had always been her sanctuary, the place she felt at home. But now she knew it had been compromised, most likely by her own family, it seemed hollow. She'd never noticed how eerie it looked, illuminated by the green vials and beakers.

Jack was down there, working on a project. She stood mutely over him, staring at his work, not really comprehending what it was.

"Maddie?" he asked, looking up. The big, goofy grin on his face faded. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid, Jack."

Her husband turned the chair around, and pulled her onto his lap. His giant hands held her tenderly. "Why?"

Should she tell him? Maddie desperately wanted to. She wanted to tell him everything; the scrapbook, the missing equipment, the argument with Jazz...but  
she couldn't. Jack was so loving and confident. If he discovered that Jazz had been betraying them all this time, he'd be crushed. She couldn't do that to him. Besides, she wanted to handle this on her own. There was still a chance to save Jazz from Phantom's influence. She'd sort it out on her own, for now.

Still, his warm form was a comfort to her. Maddie laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm afraid the kids are in danger...that the ghosts are harming them."

A hint of anger crept into his voice. "Why? Have they done anything to them?"

"No," she said miserably. _Not yet_.

"I'm just afraid," she continued. "There are so many of them, and they're so powerful...what if they really get into trouble? What if I'm not there to save them?"

Jack pulled her up, and stared into her eyes. His face, usually bursting with excitement, was solemn. "Maddie- you're the greatest ghost hunter I know. And you're an amazing parent. If anyone is going to keep our kids safe, it's you."

That didn't console her much, but Maddie nodded. She couldn't help but be moved by Jack's belief in her. "Besides," Jack said, a smile suddenly splitting his face. "If you're really worried- I have a plan."

Weekday mornings in the Fenton household were always busy- between hurried breakfasts, showers, bag-packing and the occasional ghost attack, it was a miracle that Danny and Jazz ever got to school on time. So they did not appreciate having their delicately planned morning schedule ruined.

So the fact that they had all been assembled in the kitchen that morning for a  
'Fenton Family Meeting' was really pushing it.

Danny was sitting at the table, his leg twitching with impatience. "What's this about?"

Jack beamed at his kids. "Ghosts, of course!"

"Of _course_," Danny muttered sarcastically.

Jazz, however, was remaining uncharacteristically silent. She was standing in the doorway, apparently reading a book. But her body was tense, and her eyes didn't move. Maddie could tell she was still angry- which made her feel guilty, sad and fearful, all at once. She was glad Jack would be doing most of the talking.

"Your mother and I have been kind of worried about you guys lately," he said, staring at his two children. "You might have noticed that there are a lot of evil ghosts around. And while you are the children of two of the greatest ghost hunters in the world, that doesn't mean there isn't danger.

"So," he said, pulling something from behind his back. "We've decided that it's better to be safe than sorry. Which means: spectre deflectors!"

The two objects in his hand were giant, metal contraptions which looked like belts for a robot- a fashion inept one. Maddie had not expected them to react favourably to the suggestion, but the kids almost looked afraid of the very idea.

Danny dived into his bag. "Already got one," he said quickly.

"Jazz?"

Maddie had finally spoken. She had watched her daughter, who had regarded the belts coldly. Maddie knew Jazz understood the sudden suggestion. The spectre deflectors prevented any ghost from touching the person wearing it- including, Maddie thought victoriously, Phantom.

The younger red-head glanced at Danny. "No- I don't have one. I...lost mine. But don't you think this is an overreaction?"

"When it comes to ghosts, nothing is an over-reaction. But, don't worry, Jazzy-Pants! You'll get to wear this one!" Jack tossed the belt towards her, and Jazz caught it, but barely.

"Great," she muttered. But she pulled it on, albeit with great reluctance. She stared down at her waist with an unreadable expression on her face. Jack urged them to turn the inventions on; the kids shared a look, and pressed the power buttons.

"Can we go now?" begged Danny.

"Yep!" Jack beamed. "But first, we've got to lock them! Ghosts are tricky- we want to make it impossible to get the belts off." He produced an electronic chip- the newest addition to the inventions, which served as a digital key. Holding it proudly in front of him, he advanced on Jazz.

The girl backed into the corridor. "Now I know you're overreacting."

But Jack ignored her protests, and inserted the chip, locking the belt around her waist. Danny's met the same fate. He struggled half heartedly, and then swept up his bag. "Okay- now we're going."

He tugged on his sister's arm, who was staring at Maddie. She did not look happy.

_But she's safe_, Maddie thought. _That's what matters._

The two teenagers left the house; but for Jazz, perhaps 'stormed out' would be a better description. Danny watched, eyebrow raised, as she fumbled angrily with the keys to her car.

"Are you okay, Jazz? You and mom seem to be kind of angry or something..."

The girl sighed, and weighed Danny up. She didn't want to worry him. "It's nothing, little brother. Mom and I just had a fight last night- about Phantom." Danny froze, and looked worried. "Don't worry, it's okay. She doesn't know anything...it's just annoying."

She sighed, and unlocked the car door. Danny tried to piece things together. "The spectre deflectors?

"Just Dad acting up, Danny. Really."

But Danny could tell that wasn't everything- that she was hiding something. Jazz was often too over protective for her own good. "What exactly did mom say to you, Jazz?"

She gave him a reassuring smile, and tried to lighten the mood. "Nothing important, Danny. Mom's just gotten a bit suspicious- she was bound to, eventually. Just let 'Phantom' lay low for a while, and she'll forget about it. It's just frustrating that I have to wear a spectre deflector. If I touch you-"

Danny clicked his tongue. "You shouldn't have lost the modified one, Jazz. Your fault."

A couple months ago, Tucker had taken it upon himself to modify some of the spectre deflectors for their use, changing it so they would recognize Danny's ecto-signature, so they wouldn't harm him. It had been tricky, but the techno wiz spent so much time at the Fentons' that he knew their equipment almost as well as the inventors. The four had been able to wear the devices without any fear for Danny.

The fact that Jazz managed to lose hers, right before she truly needed it, was simply cosmic irony. Recognising this, she just sighed, and got into the driver's seat. Danny reached out his hand to console her, then stopped at the last second, remembering the shock he would suffer if he touched her.

"Don't worry," he said, quickly pulling back his hand. "Tucker can probably modify yours at school. We can avoid each other until then. Besides- I've got something bigger to worry about."

The engine revved, and its growl sounded almost ominous. Jazz's eyes flickered to her brother. "What?"

"A warning from Dora. Not good- I don't like warnings."

"Dora? The dragon princess? What did she say?"

"I'll tell you on the way to school- we'll be late, otherwise."

The car pulled out of the drive way, quickly disappearing down the street. From the upstairs window, Maddie watched. She had not heard the conversation; all she knew was that she was glad that her children were safe.

Supper that night was a subdued affair. The usually chirpy Jazz was still wearing her belt, and glowered at her mother as she ate. Under Jazz's hostile gaze, Maddie found it harder to feel relived about the protection she'd forced on her daughter. Danny had slipped that day, and a splendid bruise, almost green in colour, was already blossoming on his face- so he wasn't exactly cheerful either.

"The school really needs to get more 'Floor is wet' signs, I think," Maddie declared to the table, as she looked at her boy's painful bruise. Danny murmured something in agreement, and chased peas around his plate. Jazz was silent. Even Jack, sensing the mood, kept his mouth shut.

The clank of cutlery was overwhelming. Maddie desperately tried to kindle some conversation. "So...anything else interesting happen at school?"

"Tucker wasn't here today," Danny said unhappily. "There was some family emergency, and he had to go visit his grandparents yesterday...he called to tell me this morning."

Jazz stabbed violently at her steak.

"Oh, no! I wonder what's wrong."

"He didn't tell me," Danny said. "But I think his parents are just over-reacting...I hope so, at least."

There was an awkward silence. The whole family obviously felt sympathy towards Tucker, who'd they had practically raised. But at the same time, there was something else the Maddie couldn't quite discern- a frustration and fear that seemed to lurk inside the two children. It seemed to hang in the air, not quite tangible, but enough to make its presence felt.

For a few minutes, nobody spoke.

"It was also surprise picture day for the seniors," Jazz finally said, obviously wanting to change the subject. "The school could have bothered to warn us- I looked horrible!"

"And let me guess," Danny said impishly. "You blinked at the flash, didn't you?"

It was almost impossible to take a good picture of Jazz- she'd always blink right when the picture was taken. Jazz grinned at Danny's comment. "Not this time- with you around, I've pretty much become immune to flashes of light."

The two kids laughed at their joke- Jack and Maddie exchanged baffled glances. Maddie just shrugged lightly, having long since given up trying to understand teenage humour. Besides, it had made them laugh, and anything which lightened the mood was welcomed.

Jack had already gotten back to eyeing the food. "Pass the potatoes, would you?"

Both the teenagers reached for the bowl; their hands touched. Quick as a flash, Danny whipped his hand back, and cradled it to his chest, wincing. Jazz looked stricken for a moment, and muttered "sorry!"

"What happened?" Maddie asked, astonished. "Was the bowl too hot?"

"Um, yeah," Danny said, looking at his hand. Jazz just glared at Maddie, her blue eyes smouldering with some unsaid accusation. Maddie felt shocked by Jazz's sudden anger at her, but pushed it back out of concern for Danny.

"Are you okay?" she asked. The boy just nodded, and shrugged her off when she asked if he wanted a bandage or aloe-vera.

"Oh, stop fussing," Jack berated her. "Danny's a Fenton! A little burn isn't gonna hurt him! Besides, I still need the potatoes."

Dinner progressed as usual from there, but for Maddie, everything felt wrong. Danny kept using his left hand- his right obviously still hurting. Jazz seemed even angrier than before, and was glowering at her, but Maddie didn't know why.

And when Maddie picked up the bowl of potatoes, it was stone cold.

oOoOoOoOo

**AN:** not the most exciting chapter, I know- but I need to start setting stuff up for the finale. Even if it was filler, it was fun to write, at least.

Continued thanks to reviewers, favourite-ers, and Kags.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello, again, everyone!

I've really got to thank Kagome51 for helping me so much with this one- you're really awesome. Also, need to give you a head's up; this chapter presents some of my personal views on how the ghosts in DP work, but hopefully it hasn't gone on too much of a ramble.

**The Scrapbook**

Maddie was happy to get out of the house.

After the strange supper the previous evening, Maddie had felt her emotions snapping. She hadn't been able to tell what she was feeling; frustration at Jazz's actions, confusion about Danny's mysterious burn, suspicion about Phantom, or sadness about the fact that both children seemed to be hiding something from her. It was all mixed in as a giant cauldron of emotion.

Maddie had hoped talking with Jazz would have dispelled her fear. When her suspicions had proved correct, though, she'd hoped the spectre deflectors would do the job. But, no. Jazz was sizzling in anger at her, and the brief triumph she'd felt from imposing the ghostly protection on her daughter was already dying.

Everything had just been made worst later that night. She'd been preparing for bed, when Maddie couldn't help but noticed things in her room were...just off. Not where she'd left them. That magazine had been closer to the light, and Maddie was sure she hadn't left that drawer open.

"What were you looking for, Jack?" she asked. She'd meant it to sound light and playful, but it came out accusatory.

Jack shrugged, pulling out his pyjamas. "Not me, Jazz. She said she left something here."

She had stared at him. "Jazz?"

"Yep," he said. He gave her a strange look, but then continued changing.

Jazz had been looking through her things? Maddie knew exactly why. When Jack went to the wash-room, she quickly ruffled through the drawer where she'd stored the scrapbook, feeling angry and frustrated. She pulled out the shirts.

It was still there, looking as innocent as ever.

Then the fury vanished. She had hated the thought of Jazz going through her things, trying desperately to find the thing Maddie was trying so hard to protect her from. But now, seeing it lying there, unmoved, her rage was gone. Guilt had come crashing back. She was angry at Jazz going through her things? _Talk_ _about calling the kettle black_, she berated herself.

Besides, Jazz hadn't found the scrapbook. Of course she hadn't- Jazz never would have thought to check her dad's drawer when it was her mother who had stolen it. So she was still safe from Phantom's influence. Carefully, she placed the t-shirts back into the drawer, and closed it.

Her sleep that night had been better than any she'd had in a long time; with the ear-plugs safely drowning out Jack's snores, and her mind somewhat at rest thanks to the spectre deflectors, she'd been able to fall asleep. But despite it being a full night's rest, the sleep had been uneasy, and that  
morning she'd woken from a dream she could not remember.

The kids had left for school with no interruptions this time. Less than an hour later, Maddie had towed Jack out of the house for a shopping trip. It was one of those brisk fall mornings, and the cool air had felt refreshing on Maddie's skin. As she'd slipped into the passenger's seat of the GAV,  
she'd felt relaxed- or, as relaxed as you could feel with Jack at the wheel.

Now they were at the mall- first stop, the Electronics and Hardware Store. They'd been going to it since they first moved to Amity Park, and Maddie was greeted by the familiar scent of metal and sawdust. She breathed in deeply, smiling to herself. There was something so exciting about all the bits and bolts you could find in the store- it was the promise of new inventions and  
discovery. Jack grinned at her, and she knew he was feeling the same way.

They started meandering through the shop. They had a list of specific pieces they needed for equipment; Jack mostly took care of that. In many ways, he was the creative brain of the duo, while Maddie was the practical one. So while her husband rushed around the store, looking for one thing or another, she took the weekly rounds_. We need some screws....oh, and we're running low on  
solder, maybe some triple A batteries..._

It was funny, but here, with her feet busy, and a specific purpose in mind, she found it much easier to think about her theories on Phantom's aging. The kids hadn't come to this particular store in years, thanks to their old scorn of ghost hunting. So there were no triggers to remind her of the kids-  
specifically Jazz- and Maddie found it so much simpler to focus on the ghost alone.

Her scant research had proven, without a doubt, that Phantom appeared to be aging- going from what appeared to be a pre-pubescent boy, into one in his late teens. Further research in the GiW site had also showed that his power levels had been increasing- and although that growth was steady, there didn't appear to be that much correlation with his physical changes.

It had left Maddie thinking. Maybe their thoughts on the ghost boy were wrong?

There were three recognised categories of ghosts. The most well known one were spirits of the deceased. The science behind the process was sketchy, but it appeared that people who died under brutal circumstances, who weren't prepared to 'go beyond' had an impression of themselves made into ecto-plasm. These ghosts usually had the same memories of the deceased, and some semblance of their bodies or personality; but their emotions were often exaggerated and overly hostile. Almost always these ghosts were focused on a single obsession which drove them.

The second category was similar to the first, as they were also composed of emotions 'imprinted' into the ecto-plasm. But instead of these emotions coming from one specific individual, they came from an entire concept. It was like an expression of the human race's representation of an idea- something like the Greek myths, or a time period. While lacking a specific obsession, they are often warped portrayals of the concepts they represented, since the average person bases their knowledge around stereotypes.

The last one is what could closely resemble a form of independent life. The ghost zone seemed to develop its own lifeforms, which evolved on its own, filling the niches in its own vast array of eco-systems. These were the least spotted and studied of the ghosts, and information was scarce; but it appeared these creatures had their own development cycles, much like real world organisms.

She and Jack (and the entire ghost-hunting community) had always assumed Phantom fit into the first group. He was basically human in shape, which was something which was only common in the first two ghost categories. He even appeared to have an obsession for fighting. There had been no reason to suspect he wasn't from the first category.

But ghosts of the first two groupings remained stagnant, their forms only changing with their power. Yet Phantom's growth pattern seemed to point to something else entirely- that he was a creature from the third category.

Maddie bent down and inspected a box of resistors. _Or maybe, _she thought, _he _is_ of the first grouping, but he's more _attached, _somehow. Perhaps he still believes he's human enough that he mimics our growth. _

She dropped the resistors in her cart, and shook her head. Hypothesising like this was all well and good, but it wouldn't mean a thing unless she had some data. If only she could get her hands on Phantom, study his chemical make-up and physiology. Then she'd truly know which group he belonged to.

Just then, Jack sprung at her from behind a row of shelves. He held his baskets of items up proudly. "I've gotten everything we need, Mads!"

"Everything?" she teased, gesturing at her own collection of items.

Jack gave her that goofy grin she loved so much. "Except those."

Together, the two of them made their way to the checkout, and paid for the equipment. Weighed down with bags, they headed towards the car, needing to drop the stuff off before going to get food.

Outside, the weather had changed slightly. The sun had disappeared behind a grey veil of clouds, and wind blew fallen leaves across the parking lot like tumbleweed. She shivered slightly. "Looks like winter's coming."

Jack nodded, and hefted things into the back of the assault vehicle, his huge form preventing her from helping. Instead, she just leaned against the side of the car. She felt Jack slam the door, and then she heard him murmur, "Wow."

"What is it, Jack?" She said, turning to face him. She saw him staring into the sky, and followed his gaze.

Ghosts.

A whole invasion of them, flying over the town. That wasn't the impressive thing about them, though; it was as though these creatures had flown out of Lord of the Rings. They rode of demonic horses with flaming manes; a banner of purple and green spread across the sky; a trumpet bellowed, its sound more haunting than any human instrument. It was a full medieval force of dead, supernatural beings.

Jack extracted a gun from his coat. Maddie got into the GAV and took the wheel. "Come on Jack," she said fiercely, "The groceries will have to wait."


	7. Chapter 7

**Yes, another chapter. Sorry about the long wait on this one; with the end of year comes exams, essays and drama performances. Still, I've already started on the next chapter, and even if Murphy's Law holds true, I hope to have this wrapped up by July.**

It was one thing to hunt ghosts; but to drive underneath a surging wave of them was another thing altogether. Their glow seemed to turn the sky green and mottled purple; it was a swarm of creatures, surreal over the suburban landscape.

The only good thing about it was that they were impossible to miss. 

Shot after shot fired from Jack's gun; Maddie would occasionally add hers,  
but was highly focused on manoeuvring themselves down the streets. It was hardly rush hour, but the normal drizzle of traffic had become a panicked mess when they saw the army of ghosts above- cars swerved wildly, screaming above the speed limit. It was all Maddie could do to keep herself from crashing, and keep the car steady enough for Jack to aim.

"Why aren't they attacking?" Jack suddenly muttered. 

"What do you mean?" Maddie asked, incredulous, eyes still on the road. "They're swarming the city!" 

Another shot rang through the air; her husband had fired more ecto-plasm at the creatures. "I know that! But I'm shooting at them, and they're not fighting back!"

Maddie paused mentally; he was right. Except for the occasional shot, and even one item (a lance?) which had whizzed by, there had hardly been any retaliation from the ghosts. She risked a glance at the sky; she realised  
they'd come into an arrow like formation. They were organised, like an army. A strange idea dawned on her; were they holding their rank? But if they were holding rank, that meant they must have a strategy...and if  
they had a strategy, they must have somewhere specific in mind.

She couldn't fathom where it could be. But for now, that wasn't a problem; just follow the cloud of ghosts, don't crash, and keep shooting.

The next few minutes passed by in a rush of adrenaline; they were jolted back and forth by the wild car-ride, horns and ghostly trumpets screaming in the air accompanied by the whine of ecto-guns, and the assault vehicle charging after the hoard, neither hunter making a dent in their numbers. 

_What we need is for them to stop_, Maddie thought franticly, tugging on the wheel. They're starting to get a way. _And if they'd just stay still, we'd get in more shots!_

It was around then that Maddie also noticed she recognised the route she was taking; her body had unconsciously begun steering her down the familiar roads.

Worry started to build in the back of her mind. 

"Jack," she half-yelled, "You don't think that they're heading towards...." 

She twisted around a curve, and her suspicions were proved right. In front of her was Casper High, and the ghosts were descending upon it like a plague of locust. 

"Oh, no they don't," Jack growled fiercely, firing another rounds of shots. Maddie revved the engine, fear for her children sending her protective instincts into over-drive. But despite the sudden surge in adrenaline, that  
analytical part of her still asked, _why is it always the school?  
_

Screams started up in the distance; a flood of bodies began escaping from the school. Maddie was forced to slow and swerve to avoid crushing the fleeing students. "Looks like we're going on foot." 

The two of them grabbed guns and thermoses, and threw open the van's doors. Jack pointed towards the largest wave of students, who were leaping over the fence ringing the football pitch; the ghostly army hovered above. They rushed towards it, Jack's massive form clearing a path for them to charge. Maddie hooked her gun under her arm, and scrambled easily up the fence; Jack hoisted himself up, and fell clumsily to the opposite side. Maddie helped him to his feet, and the two of them turned to face the army. 

It was obvious that they'd attacked during the middle of some sort of event- a PE class, by the looks of it. Plastic cones, foot-balls and water-bottles were scattered everywhere, half-trampled by the escaping students. The ghosts of course hadn't touched them, as they floated above the ground, as they stared and cheered at the sky above. 

Their faces were drawn up, since the hoard was clearly watching something. That 'something' was an aerial battle, pitched twenty against two. 

It was nearly impossible to make out; a purple and green mass, armed ancient weapons, ecto-blasts shooting everywhere. Through the chaos you could just about make out the opponents- a flash of red, a flicker of white. Phantom and the Red-Huntress were pitching battle. It was almost mesmerising, how  
gracefully they maneuvered, swerving between their enemies. 

For a pair which seemed to detest each other, they really did fight well together.

For a moment, Maddie hesitated. This was over a hundred ghosts; they were only two people (well, four, if you counted the Huntress and Phantom, and Maddie hesitated to include the latter). 

But they were the Fentons. They were Amity Park's only true line of defence against the ghosts. They couldn't just be too afraid to fight.

She charged only a moment after Jack.

Into the mass of green they went, shooting their guns madly. For a moment the  
ghosts were confused- they had not expected two human warriors to attack them;but it was hardly a moment before they retaliated, not only with standard ecto-blasts, but with glowing swords and maces. 

It was frightening; scarier than anything she'd ever experienced. She only avoided death by constantly moving, shooting blindly, so that she wouldn't be caught. Fear coursed through her. All she saw was green and purple; the orange beacon that was Jack had been lost in the madness. She jumped at every sound. A sword slashed past her ear. Maddie ran. 

Suddenly, she was on the other side, the bleachers rising above her. Some primitive instinct shouted at her to dive for cover; the rest of her said to keep fighting, that she shouldn't give up. 

A ghoul's face rose up in front of her, its red eyes glinted madly. It held an axe in hand- it came forward to hack at her. Maddie wouldn't be quick enough. None the less, she lifted her gun, preparing for the horrible pain as she was hit-

A green light flashed forward, toppling the ghost over. Maddie jumped backwards quickly.  
"Over here!" a familiar voice called. Maddie moved towards it out of instinct. 

A face stared at her, hidden in the benches, and Maddie quickly slipped in. 

"Ms. Fenton!" the figure next to her said, worried. "Are you okay?" 

It was Sam Manson. For once, the girl was not dressed in her usual all black ensemble; she wore instead the white and red Casper High sports uniform. Her unusual purple eyes kept flicking back to the mass of ghosts on the field. 

"Sam," Maddie gasped. "You shot that ghost? But, with what?" She highly doubted that the students were allowed to play sports carrying guns. 

The girl tapped her wrist; a thin band with a small laser gun sat daintily on it. Maddie broke into a smile. _Nothing like seeing your technology being put to good use._

Suddenly, Maddie felt like she was punched in the gut; worry pierced through her. "Jack! Jack- he's still out there!" 

"No he's not- I saw him climb into the benches right before you." 

"Thank God," she muttered. "What about Danny and Jazz? Have you seen them?" 

A strange expression flickered across Sam's face. Fear lurched within Maddie, but the girl's face cleared soon enough. "They're not here....safe, I think." 

_That's good- they're somewhere safe.  
_

Nonetheless, Maddie was struck with a terrible feeling of helplessness. Forall the show they put on, Maddie knew that whenever the ghosts truly invaded, they were left helpless. It had only taken being almost killed by one to remind her. 

She hated feeling helpless; it clung to her, holding her down. She needed to do something. 

Quickly, she took a gun from her belt, and pressed it into Sam's hand. 

"You'll need something with more power than a wrist-ray." 

The girl opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by a loud voice echoing from the field. "Silence!" 

The two of them peered out. The sea of ghosts had settled, and was staring restlessly up at the sky. Above, the battle seemed to have ended, although rather abruptly; the medieval ghosts seemed to have fallen silent. Their  
fighters, Phantom and the Huntress looked confused at the sudden end, although Phantom was already staring at the ghost striding across the sky.

Striding was exactly the word to use. He walked pompously through the air- he did not glide. He was decked in purple and green, with a dragon rampant across his chest

.  
"Sir Phantom." The ghost gave what appeared to be a nod. 

"Aragon?" It was hard to see the ghost from their positions, but judging from his tone, Maddie could imagine Phantom giving a sarcastic smile. "This is a bit of overkill, don't you think?" 

"Perhaps- if I merely wanted to destroy you. But this is about something far more important than that. This is about reclaiming my throne. People need to see how easily I shall vanquish those who destroyed the natural order; Sir Phantom and his Princess." 

"She's- she's not my princess!" spluttered the ghost boy. Next to her, Sam tensed, but Maddie hardly noticed. 

"Say what you will, sir Knight. But the human princess shall also be punished for her crimes. Already my loyal supporters are searching for her, and all shall see the triumph of the natural order!" 

_Human princess? Who on Earth could that..._

_Jazz.  
_

Who else could it be? The only other human girl with any relation to Phantom was the Huntress, and they weren't exactly buddies, even if they'd become less antagonistic in recent months. Jazz, though....she'd been letting the ghost into the lab, protecting him. If this medieval ghost- Aragon? - was calling  
her a princess- did it mean that Jazz and Phantom had a relationship that was more than an unrequited crush? 

Maddie went into a daze with her thoughts, until she felt Sam move besides her; she was preparing to crawl out from under the benches. Maddie reached out to stop her. "Where are you going?" 

"To fight the ghosts," Sam said, her expression obviously saying 'duh!' 

"No you're not. It's too dangerous." 

Sam was a capable fighter- Maddie had witnessed her skills first hand. But Maddie had almost died out there. Skilled or not, the girl was only sixteen, and Maddie was not prepared risk her life. 

In the background, the ghost's leader gave a war cry; it was met with screams from his army. Sounds of battle erupted once more. 

"Yes, I am," she said defiantly, and pulled free of Maddie's grasp; quick as a flash, she pulled herself from the crawl space, and ran along the bench. The woman called after her, but there was no reply. Finally, she pulled herself up to follow; if Maddie couldn't stop her fighting, she would guard her back, at least. 

It was mayhem; all the ghosts had attacked Phantom, launching themselves at the spectre. Phantom was powerful, and though they were mostly weak and easily defeated, the pure numbers were overwhelming him. The Red Huntress seemed to be helping him, but even she was nothing against a whole army. It sent a  
shudder of fear to see them being attacked so thoroughly; pity, too. Maddie felt it even for Phantom- as he dodged swords and blasts he looked startlingly young and human. 

"Hey, ghosts!" 

The voice was Sam's; she had climbed near the top of the bleachers, and was waving her arms wildly. It caught the ghosts' attention; Aragon gave a call, and immediately the rank divided, splitting their attention onto Sam. 

What the hell is she thinking? Maddie mentally screamed, trying to vanquish the stream of ghosts flooding towards Sam. But of course she knew; divide and conquer. Phantom and the Huntress couldn't defeat the ghosts by themselves, so Sam was distracting them.

It was this which caused Maddie to yell; "Over here!" 

Jack emerged and joined the cry. The new flood of ghosts was further spread out, although Maddie noticed they were still concentrating their attacks on Sam. She couldn't really understand why this was, although she figured that the ghosts must be focusing on the 'weakest' attacker. 

Now, it was pure adrenaline. Maddie dodged and shot; ghost after ghost seemed to swell in front of her. Animalistic figures snarled and humanoids shot arrows- their skin and fur a grisly display of greens and blues; all were united under Aragon's purple banner. Maddie fought them indiscriminately, attacking them all savagely. They would not hurt her home. Then, a new voice, completely unexpected, rang across from the other side of the foot-ball pitch. "Hey! Look at me!"

_Jazz._

She was insane. Completely insane. If she really was the 'princess'- which at this point, Maddie didn't doubt- then Aragon wanted to make an example of her. To use her defeat- her death- to solidify his power. If that was true, then what on Earth could have possessed her to put herself in the spotlight like that? And with her on the other side of the pitch she didn't have any back-up to defend herself. 

She had a thermos, though, and in her right hand a gun, which she was shooting like a pro. Her red hair was blown back in the wind, and her expression was grim; against the attacking hoards, she was a modern warrior. 

She was doing well- very well. All it took from the ghosts was a lucky shot. 

A weighted rope swung through the air, flung from a faceless ghost Maddie couldn't see. Jazz tried to dodge it, but was too slow. It wrapped around her, tying her arms together; she dropped her gun. Even though Maddie was on the other-side of the pitch, she felt as though she could hear the sickening thud as Jazz's body hit the ground.

She started to leap down the steps- ghosts flooded in front of her, making it near important to see what was happening to her child. Ghost seemed to be flooding towards Jazz; one let out a ghastly scream, and Maddie knew that the spectre deflector has done its job. More ghosts came, and she fought them blindly, trying to keep her eyes on Jazz. 

The ghosts had realised they couldn't touch her; they had easily fixed that by plunging arrows through her shirt, into the soft ground, pinning her down. Aragon had drifted over- Maddie couldn't hear what he was saying, but the dark grin on his face was explanation enough. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Maddie saw a new threat. Phantom somehow had broken free of the fight. Now he was shooting right towards her daughter, his face dark. All common sense left Maddie in a wave. Phantom was charging at Jazz. Phantom, the evil ghost, was charging at Jazz, surely with murderous intent.

She had to stop him.

She'd be too slow, she knew, but she still pumped her legs harder, ignoring the battle around her. Phantom was a blur of light, diving at Jazz; she'd obviously realised the danger, finally registered how evil Phantom was. She  
was struggling desperately, and as Phantom finally made his grab for her, she screamed. "Danny, no! Don't!" 

Suddenly Jazz was flying, suspended in the air. Phantom had phased her through the arrows pinning her to the ground- now he was flying higher, higher. The gloating ghosts looked up in surprise; they hadn't realised what had happened.

Maddie did, though. Phantom hadn't meant to harm Jazz. The exact opposite, in fact- he'd dived in to save her.  
But something was wrong. Jazz was still struggling fitfully; Phantom's flight was slow and jerky. His body was gripped is spasms, throwing him randomly through the air. A green light rippled across his body. The spectre  
deflector, Maddie realised with a gasp. Jolts of pain were ripping through the ghost's body. For a moment, his hand twitched, and he let go of the Jazz; she began to fall, but Phantom somehow regained control to catch her, before immediately being shocked again. The ghosts were rushing after them in full force now- there was no way Phantom could avoid them. The ghost and human began to fall, and it was only through Phantom's force of will that they didn't drop straight to the ground. As it was, they crash-landed, ploughing through the mud. 

Suddenly, everything seemed to happen at once. The ghosts began to converge on the falling figures. Phantom, looking dazed, just barely managed to conjure a shield to protect them. Maddie, still running, felt Sam's lithe form behind her. Sam's arm whipped up, and something silver shot through the air. She yelled. Jazz looked up just in time, and clumsily caught the ecto-gun Sam had thrown.

The attack seemed to slam into her with full force once again. Everything seemed to get lost in the rush of battle. Occasionally she would spot someone else in the melee; a red flash which was the huntress, or the giant bulk which was Jack. Suddenly, she felt a shadow fall overhead. She took a chance to glance up;more ghosts. Maddie felt her heart plummet. 

"Don't attack the ones in blues!" she heard a human voice shout out, though Maddie couldn't tell who said it. "They're on our side!" 

She ducked, and shot, and won herself another glance at the new wave of ghosts. In many ways, they looked just like the first wave- a strange collection of twisted, human-like figures in medieval garb. But now she could  
see one major difference. While the first group had been decked in the purple and green of Aragon, these were dressed in a pale blue. 

_On our side_? Maddie thought hesitantly. She could hardly believe it- but these new ghosts were attacking the ones in green. And although Maddie still felt suspicious, she continued to fight only Aragon's troops, wisely thinking, _don't look the gift horse in the mouth._

The battle shifted. There was a subtle change, barely discernible. The sea of green seemed thinner, the ghosts vanishing. Some were captured in thermoses or too gravely injured to keep fighting; others could be seen fleeing. It was obvious that they'd been expecting a quick battle, more of an execution than anything. This was no rally, and with their morale shattered, the ghosts were disappearing into the sky. In some distant, removed part of herself, Maddie felt hopeful. 

Somehow, she was being moved towards the center of the field, near the epicentre of the battle. Phantom and Jazz stood side by side; the ghost seemed dizzy and unfocused. Still, he managed to conjure ecto-blasts and hold his ground, with Jazz there to aid them. They fought well, with confidence, as though they could predict each other's moves. 

They seemed evenly matched; still, even with Aragon's depleted troops, the ghosts could keep attacking. They humans and their allies would run out of juice, eventually. It was clear, however, that eventually was not enough for the prince. He felt it time to intervene. 

Aragon came down, a few of his more powerful minions flanking his side, guarding it. On one arm was his dragon shield, in the other, a black sword. His already inhuman face was contorted in an expression of frustration and anger. He came to hover the two figures; he held up his hands to stop the  
other ghosts attacking. Jazz cocked her gun, and aimed it at his head, while Phantom's hands remained bathed in green. 

"You have fought well, Sir Phantom. But I'm afraid it is time to end this fight."

Phantom's reply was hard to hear, because of the clamour of battle and the faintness of his voice. "Couldn't agree more." 

He leapt into the air, flying towards Aragon. The sword came slicing in the air, but Phantom dodged, his misty body splitting in two, so the blade fell through him. He grabbed hold of the shield, and ice blossomed over it; Aragon had no choice but to drop the dead weight. As she herself fought on the ground, Maddie caught snippets of the fight; Aragon hands clenched around the boy's throat, Phantom tossing the prince to the ground, and Aragon being pummelled with a glowing fist. 

"You're not much of a fighter without that dragon amulet, are you?" Phantom boasted, swerving around the prince. He became over confident; Aragon managed to slash his sword across the boy's chest, and he let out a yell as it pierced his flesh. 

That was when Jazz leapt up, having finally battled past the ghosts, her gun shooting straight at Aragon's chest. He screamed angrily, clutching it in pain. "Do not fight me, girl! You need not be harmed!" 

"It didn't seem like that before," Jazz retaliated, firing like mad. But things were going badly. Her weapon was obviously not powerful enough for this ghost, and the only thing preventing his minions from swarming her was the belt at her waist. Phantom was caught in a wrestling match on the ground, his fatigue and wounds preventing him from re-engaging Aragon in battle again. Aragon's honour guard was fighting too viciously to allow the blue ghosts to come to their aid.

The ghosts fighting Phantom had pinned him to the ground, and Aragon seem prepared to bring down his sword right through him.

Five shots, in rapid succession. They hit Aragon in the back; taken by surprise, he fell to the ground. Sam was on top of him, her lithe form having somehow slipped past the ghosts. Although Maddie did not see it, Sam smiled innocently at the prince as she stabbed a ghostly dagger through his chest. "Forget about me, sweet heart?"

The scream he unleashed sounded draconic and furious. But without any internal organs, it was only the pain which made Aragon hesitate as he grabbed the knife's hilt and attempted to pull it from his chest. He was too slow, though. He was swept up in a beam of light from Jazz's thermos. 

The battle was won there, truly. With their "grand, superior leader" defeated, many ghosts lost the will to fight, and without any direction, those that remained quickly succumbed to the rival ghosts and humans. Suddenly, the  
field was almost clear; the fleeing ghosts were chased by the blue clad ones, and Jack on foot. 

In the center, though, lay a huddle of people. Phantom sat in the mud, leaning heavily on Sam who was propping him up. Maddie, her last ghost foe haven just fallen to the ground, ran over. Time seemed to slow. Phantom was barely conscious, and obviously weak. Above, Maddie could sense the Red Huntress staring down at them. Behind her red visor, her expression was hidden. For a moment, Maddie thought the huntress would swoop down, and destroy Phantom at last. Once, Maddie would have done it herself, but not now. Then the Huntress drew herself away, and flew after the retreating ghosts. 

The moment had passed. 

Maddie wondered why the Huntress had not attacked. Some part of her asked why she hadn't herself. 

Sam had laid Phantom onto the ground, and the two girls huddled, worried, over him. Jazz's face was

solemn; she was crouched over him, and obviously wanted to check if he was okay, but knew she could not touch him. As she approached, the girls turned to her with wary eyes. Maddie suddenly realised to what  
extent they- her own daughter- would go to protect him. 

Lying there, in the grass, he didn't look dangerous. His body was sprawled, completely defenceless. He looked very human. 

Maddie had seen Phantom as never before that day. He has risked his after-life to save her daughter. The long gash across his chest was proof of that; Maddie did not think he'd have gotten it if he'd not exhausted himself rescuing Jazz first. 

She bent over, and she felt Jazz begin to protest. She raised her hand, showing she meant no harm. She inspected the ghost. His jump-suit was torn, and he has bruises forming around his body. The most obvious wound was the cut, which arched diagonally across his chest. It was covered in mud, ecto-plasm and blood, though Maddie couldn't guess where the latter came from.

The ghost's eyes were open, but dazed; they were misty, emerald orbs, staring at nothing. Maddie wondered if he had a concussion, and if that was even possible. She leaned over him, looking into his face. The pupils did focus, but it was delayed. Not good. 

Suddenly, Maddie was doing what she would not have even considered a week  
ago- doing first aid on the ghost. She snapped her finger. "I'm afraid you have a concussion; I need you to answer some questions for me. What's your name?" 

His eyes focused, and a look of immense concentration grew on his face. "Danny....F-f..."

Suddenly, his eyes blinked open, and he finally registered where he was. He struggled, looking himself over. Then, with one last long look at Maddie, he phased through the ground, and disappeared.


	8. Chapter 8

The battle was over, but their work was far from done.

When Phantom had vanished into the ground, the three women had stared at the spot blankly for a few moments. Or at least, Maddie had; with Phantom so weak and defenseless, she'd almost forgotten he was a ghost. His supernatural display, so easy even when hurt, had shocked her out of that.

Sam and Jazz had climbed to their feet. Jazz was biting her lip, looking worried. Sam brushed her arm, and gave a look that Maddie couldn't read. Maddie remembered how close the girls had become in recent months, and  
wondered for a moment if Phantom had anything to do with that. 

She quickly did a quick look over them all. Jazz had a small cut on her arm, and what looked like mild burning on her left leg. Sam was bruised, and had a slight limp, but otherwise fine. As for herself, Maddie was worst off- she was covered in shallow cuts, burns and bruises. One thing good thing she noticed in her quick search for wounds was that the scratch she'd gotten from the ferret was finally starting to heal.

Having finally satisfied herself that none of them needed medical aid more substantial than that of a first-aid kit, her mind turned to other matters.

"Well, girls, do you want me to drive you home?" She thought it was the right thing to do; Sam, especially. She was a real mess, with her hair disheveled and muddy. Jazz was too, her once blue blouse probably now beyond the powers of bleach, but Maddie doubted that Sam's parents would be as understanding as herself about the mess.

To her surprise, they didn't accept the offer. "You need to find dad, and help with the rest of the ghosts," Jazz explained. Remembering her husband, Maddie started to move more urgently, wanting to help him. But she still felt horrible about leaving the girls alone, and asked again.

"Really, Ms. Fenton," Sam said, with something of a strained smile. "We'll be fine."

They walked quickly across the field, surveying the damage. They stepped lightly over the remains of the fence, which had somehow been squashed, and brought themselves towards the Fenton's vehicle.

"Okay, then," Maddie said, pulling herself up into the GAV. "Jazz, when you get home, I want you to make sure your brother is there. Call me if you can't find him!" The engine roared beneath her, and she took off down the street, not noticing the worried looks the two girls once again exchanged.

Down the street she went; they were almost completely deserted now, though she saw a few people stare down from windows. The roads would probably fill up again in an hour or so. In a town where ghost attacks were routine disturbances, even a fairly large invasion like this one could only shake people for a while. It was her job as a ghost hunter to make sure they streets really were secure, and that people wouldn't wander into a danger zone.

Thankfully, there didn't seem to be much left to do. She caught one ghost, who had been hiding in the shadows but chosen the wrong time to bolt. Later, she came down the road, and found two ghosts battling it out; the first was one of the ghosts in blue, riding a draconian horse-like steed, who looked like a spiritual Arthurian knight. The ghost he was facing had a desperate, feral look in its eyes.

The blue ghost took his opponent down quickly; a sword cut through its abdomen, and it vanished in a puff of smoke, supposedly to reform. From the GAV, Maddie aimed a remote controlled gun at the remaining knight. The ghost in blue stared at her through the window. Maddie felt her finger on the trigger. The ghostly warrior nodded- a solemn nod given to a comrade from battle. Then he twitched his reins, and the two of them galloped off into the sky. Maddie's gun remained unfired.

The ghost had not attacked. Maddie watched it, and wondered...and just kept wondering.

She rode through the street, and caught another ghost. By that point they had all mostly disappeared. When she was less than two minutes from her house, she met Jack, who was trudging down the street. He was sweating, and he looked worn. She leaned out of the window with a teasing smile. "Going my way, stranger?"

He grinned. "Maddie! I'm glad I found you!" 

He climbed into the car, and the two of them drove home, still watching the streets but not expecting to find anything. Finally they pulled up at the curb at their house; Maddie opened the door and slid to the ground. Jack, however, just moved over into her seat. "Aren't you coming?"

"Nah. I'm gonna take another look around the block. I want to make sure none of the ghosts escaped!"

"But weren't you coming home?" 

Jack smiled, and it was that side people so rarely saw; that deeply caring and loving side. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, honey-buns. But I need to check again."

Maddie looked him over, and knew he was exhausted. God, she was exhausted. Still, they had been married for almost twenty years, and she knew he wouldn't back down. "Okay, Jack. But don't take too long, okay?"

She dragged herself up the steps, and fiddled with the keys to the door. She walked into the house; she turned on the lights. It was only about one in the afternoon, but the grey sky didn't give enough light to really see by. The house was silent and still. For a moment, Maddie thought about calling out, but some part of her said to keep quiet.

She stalked quietly through the house; she peered into an empty kitchen. However, the door down into the lab was open, and she heard voices echoing distantly from below. Silently as a lynx, she creeped down just enough to make out what they were saying.

"...really, thanks for your help. We would have been toast without it." 

For a moment, Maddie couldn't work out whose voice it was. It was incredibly familiar, but she just couldn't pin it down. Then she registered the slight echo, and the commanding tone, and realised it was obviously Phantom's. _Of course._

Her hand twitched, and anger rose up at the thought of Phantom in their lab, but Maddie cautioned herself to stay still.

"It was our duty, sir," came a completely foreign voice. It had a strange accent and formality, and an image of one of the blue ghosts, dressed like knights and warriors, rose in Maddie's mind. "However, I must express my  
lady's great regret that she could not come to your aid personally. She had to remain in the kingdom, to prevent the rebellion spreading further."

"Seriously, I understand! No problem!"

"I am glad you feel this way..." There was a pause, and she had a vision of this ghost, dressed like one of King Arthur's knights, giving a lavish bow to the relatively normal-looking Phantom. For some reason, it seemed very amusing. Maddie gave a small smile. "Now, I must take my men and depart. I would suggest you do not release Aragon for some time- let us thoroughly quash all dissent first."

"Alright! Bye!"

"Farewell, Sir Phantom, Lady Jasmine. And please, give my regards to the princess."

There was the sound of movement; then silence. Maddie heard an out-take of breath.

"Well, that was weird," Jazz said. She sounded somewhat amused, if tired. Maddie had straightened up, and was preparing to come down the stairs.

"You get used to it," replied Phantom. He sounded very casual- it was strange. "Still, it's probably best Dora didn't turn up. Dragons plus the school do not equal fun."

Suddenly, there was a blinding flash of blue light. Startled, Maddie came rushing down the stairs, afraid for Jazz.

Her eyes whipped around the lab. It was empty, except for Danny and Jazz, standing there. They looked like two little children who'd been caught stealing from the cookie jar.

Now Maddie looked around more warily. She was surprised to see Danny down here; she hadn't even guessed he was. There was no sign of Phantom or other ghosts. Of course, Maddie knew the ghost could be there right now, invisible. In fact, he probably was.

The two were obviously nervous, but trying to hide it. "Hi, Mom!" 

There had been a flash of light. She'd seen it, and there was no way the kids hadn't. But they were clearly pretending otherwise. Maddie looked at Danny, trying to conceal her suspicion. "I'm so glad you're safe! How'd you get home after the attack?"

"Eerrrr...um, well, I just kinda ran out with the rest of the class. And then, I just walked home. Yeah."

Maddie's eyes hovered over him for a while; she could tell there was something wrong about what he had just said, although she couldn't understand what he could be hiding. Still, she could think about that later. Now she had something more important to do. "Well, I'm glad. Listen- I need to speak to Jazz. Just the two of us."

Danny's blue eyes flickered between the two of them. "Oookaaaay." 

He started up the stairs, painfully slowly it seemed. Maddie waited until she couldn't hear his footsteps, and then turned towards her daughter. Her voice was hushed. "Is Phantom here? Listening?"

Jazz looked curious. "No...no, I don't think so. Mom- today, at the field. You didn't attack him." 

She meant Phantom, of course. And even though it wasn't phrased like one, Maddie knew she was asking a question. 

Maddie wasn't ready to answer it. Not yet. 

"Jasmine...you really trust Phantom, don't you?" 

"Yes." There was no hesitation. 

"Can you tell me why?"

Maddie looked at the girl. Her hair was twined around her finger. She seemed to be thinking, contemplating her answer. "Because I've spoken to him. I've talked to him. And when you've done that- it's obvious how much he cares. That he really wants to help. I don't think he even realizes how much. It's just a classic hero's complex, really."

_Lies._ The answer she has used for so long came unbidden to her mind- that 

Phantom was just lying and pretending to get everyone's trust. But she didn't say it, not this time.

"Today- I heard that ghost, Aragon, talking. He attacked because of Phantom, didn't he?"

"It wasn't Phantom's fault!" Jazz paused, as though expecting a rebuttal. Maddie gestured for her to continue, and she did, although she appeared surprised. "Aragon…kidnapped a girl a couple of years ago. He wanted her as his wife- something about it being special, since no other ghosts had a human one. Phantom went to save her; although I think she probably could have escaped herself. Well, long story short, they over-threw Aragon and put his sister- I think- on the throne. He wasn't very happy about it." She stopped, and took a deep breath. In her nervousness she had begun to ramble.

"How do you know this? Did Phantom tell you?"

Her voice was accusatory, but Maddie could already imagine the answer she would give; no, I was the girl who was kidnapped.

"No. I talked to the girl; _she_ told me." 

This kidnapped girl must be the princess; and Jazz spoke as if this princess was another person. Was that true? Or was she still hiding things?

Maddie regarded her daughter. She seemed tense, watching Maddie constantly. She was nervous- but not because of her surroundings. A few years ago, she would have shied away from anything to do this lab or ghosts, but now she stood there perfectly at ease. It was her, Jazz's mother, which put her on  
edge. That knowledge made Maddie feel horrible.

Jazz had changed a lot recently. She'd always been a loner; too busy working to really enjoy herself. And while she still was a bookworm, and often hiding in her room, she'd become so much open recently, hanging out more with her school friends. She'd come closer to Danny, too, and the rest of the family. While she and Jack had been so proud to see her pick up an ecto-gun, and finally show some interest in the world that had intrigued the couple for so many years, it was nothing compared to the joy they felt when they saw the confident young women Jazz had grown into in the last year.

What had caused it? As much as she loathed admitting it, Maddie doubted that after sixteen years of pretending that her parents' odd activities didn't exist, even the sudden revelation of ghosts' existence probably wasn't enough to cause such a change in heart.

So what was it? When Maddie replayed Jazz's desperate defense of Phantom in her head, she thought she knew. 

She sighed. Was Phantom really so important to Jazz? 

Even if it was, Maddie found it so tempting to brush that relationship away as a lie and hoax. But the events of today made her think otherwise. Phantom had obviously risked a lot to save Jazz. And maybe, just maybe... 

"Maybe I was too hasty in my judgment of Danny Phantom."

"What?"

Jazz looked startled. Her mouth was actually hanging open- though she snapped it shut as quickly as possible.

"It's just- well, Phantom's done a lot that he'll have to answer for, like robbing those banks, and kidnapping the mayor- no, let me talk," she said, and Jazz went to interrupt. "But you're right. He hasn't done anything like that in a long time...and well, if you're really in love with him, I should at least give him a chance."

There. She'd said it. 

Jazz began to laugh. 

It started with just a smile, then a wheeze. Next thing Maddie knew, Jazz was leaning against the wall, tears welling up in her eyes. Jazz was obviously hysterical with relief and joy. Still, this wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting.

Finally the girl's laughter died down to a chuckle, and she managed to choke out; "Mom, I'm not- I'm not in _love_ with him."

"Wait- you're _not_?"

"No! I tried to tell you before, but you wouldn't believe me!"

But- but...the desperate look in Jazz's eye as Phantom lay bleeding on the ground. The way she had hidden and lied to protect him. The scrapbook dedicated to him. Those weren't the actions of someone who was just a friend.

Maddie might have been blind to it before, but there was obviously something between the two of them. "What is your relationship with him, then?" 

The laughter died quickly then. Suddenly, Maddie felt that gap between them again, keeping them apart. "I...I can't tell you that."

"Why...why not?"

"Because..." Jazz paused, thinking. "It's not for me to tell." 

She felt hurt. Maddie had done a lot of thinking that day. She'd finally accepted the possibility that Phantom might not be pure evil. But despite that admission, her daughter still remained distant.

Part of her wanted to cry. Jazz came over, and lightly wrapped her arms around her. "I'm sorry, mom. But thanks. What you've said means a lot to me. A lot. You'll see that Phantom's okay. I know it."

Maddie wasn't convinced. With everything Phantom had done, she couldn't just brush away the past. And he was still holding her daughter back, creating these secrets between them.

But as she gave her daughter a light hug back, Maddie realized that maybe if everything wasn't better, it was at least a start.

**Hey, everyone! Sorry this one took a while. It's partly because I decided to re-plan it and the next chapter, just to fix the pacing. It hopefully should mean that the next- and also last- chapter goes much more smoothly.**

**Also, happy summer! At least for those still at school. If you've actually got a job, at least you can enjoy the warm weather!**


	9. Chapter 9

That evening found the whole Fenton family curled up in the living room, sleepily watching the television.

When Maddie had first dragged herself up the stairs from her talk with Jazz, all she wanted to do was sit back and think. She was physically burnt out, and even with the warm ember of relief that had been lit from her conversation with Jazz, she was emotionally drained. 

The world, however, did not want to comply with her wishes. She had just been making herself a sandwich from the random leftovers in the fridge when Jack had trudged in, saying that there was a news van down the street. Maddie and Jack forced themselves in front of the camera, answering all of Lance Thunder's questions, when all they wanted to do was collapse. 

It was the basics, really, and the most infuriating thing was needing to go over things that should be apparent. Maddie knew it didn't matter that any anchor in the studio could have explained it, though; the public was looking for assurance from the people who knew best. That was little consolation to the Fentons, though, as they were forced to explain the simplest things. How many ghosts were there? Have they been spotted before? Were there any casualties?

"What do you believe was the motive of the ghosts' attack?" Thunder eventually asked, and Maddie explained that it appeared to be both a bid for power and revenge from the leader, Aragon. The latter piqued his interest. "Revenge? On who?"

_On Danny Phantom and the 'Princess'- whoever she is_. Not that Maddie was going to mention her; even if 'The Princess' she wasn't Jazz, the last thing that lady would need was the media sniffing around. So Maddie mentioned only the ghost. Still, that was enough to interest the news-caster; the public never got tired of  
information on the infamous ghost boy.

"Oh?" Thunder asked, his eyebrows nearly disappearing underneath his perfectly sculpted fringe. "What reason for revenge could this ghost possibly have against the ghost boy?" 

Jack had scowled at the camera. "How should we know? We may not have seen Aragon before, but there are plenty of things ghosts do we never see. Besides, ghosts' actions don't always make _sense_." 

Part of Maddie wanted to sigh at her husband's inability to remain professional. But a lot of her couldn't help but cheer at his response. The press was constantly nosing around; they expected them to know everything on  
ghosts, even things that were ridiculous to expect. Maybe that would teach them to know better. 

But if Thunder had been put-off by Jack's response, he hid it well. "But surely you must have some clues?" 

Restraining a sigh, Maddie explained as patiently as possible Phantom had probably battled the ghost in the past. Of course, according to Jazz, he definitely had, but she wasn't going to say that. From then on, they  
interview carried on as normal. By the end, Maddie and Jack were practically pushing the news crew out the door. 

There was still no rest after the interview. The whole family managed to steal showers, cleaning themselves off. While the warm water was refreshing, the hot jets and soap seared her new cuts and bruises, and instead of being able to relax, Maddie found herself wincing in pain. She was so thankful to get herself dried off and into a new pair of clothes.

Then it was chores- not for Jazz, though. Maddie figured that she deserved a rest after the battle. But Danny had no such excuse, and the parental figures could hardly skirt their responsibilities. Maddie sent Danny to help Jack out in the lab; she was going to survey the damage to the GAV and their equipment. 

First she had to tend to the laundry, though, which was overflowing. When she was faced with the basket filled with stained whites, Maddie almost stopped with a lurch a fear when she saw a dark red stain of blood among the clothes. After a moment she took a deep breath, reminding herself that it was okay. The blood probably  
came from something of Jack's or Jazz's. It was only to be expected after a battle. 

It was an afternoon filled with hard work; the whole family scurried around the house. Even Jazz, who'd been let off, drifted behind her brother, who seemed a little annoyed by her constant presence. Telephones rang so often that it was almost a constant hum in the background. Worried civilians, the town hall, the school- everyone was calling for one reason or another. At the eighth phone ring in two hours, Maddie stomped into the hall to pick it up, and was thankful to see that Danny just had, and was already chatting away. "Yeah, Tuck, you sure missed a big one..."

Sweeping her hair back, Maddie allowed herself a smile. _If I'm lucky, Danny and Tucker will keep the lines tied for at least thirty minutes..._

Finally, by six o'clock, everything was done. The entire family, in unison, seemed to collapse onto couches with a sigh. 

"I don't want to move," groaned Danny, burying his face into a pillow. 

"Well, you won't have to," said Jack, beginning to flick through TV channels. "Your school called- it's closed for repairs." 

Danny let out a muffled sound that might have been a cheer. Maddie laughed. "Why are you complaining, anyway? You weren't fighting today!" 

The next few hours were warm and comfortable. Somehow Jack managed to find a show the whole family was content to watch, and they settled in for a long evening of doing nothing. Even Jazz, who wasn't going to slow down just because of her impromptu day off, watched, albeit while typing on her laptop. 

They were all hungry, though no one could be bothered to cook- of course, there was almost nothing in the house to eat, since Maddie and Jack had never managed to get groceries. They settled on calling for pizza, and soon the living room was filled with the delicious, greasy smell of cheese and pepperoni. 

Everyone seemed happy and satisfied. It was at such odds with the adrenaline and fear she'd been experiencing just hours ago. Maddie was just glad the whole family was here and safe. 

It was barely past nine o'clock when a strangled snore emerged from Danny's throat. Jack grinned mischievously, and stalked over to the couch where he lay. With careful gentleness Jack lifted Danny up; he was just starting to carry he him across the room, when Danny started to wake. He struggled, looking confused, and fought his way free, falling to the floor. He glared indignantly at them all- though it was difficult to pull 'indignant' off, with his eyes half-asleep and his hair ruffled.

"I can go up to my room myself, thanks." He glared at them once more, and stalked off, with his family chuckling behind him. 

Maddie yawned. "I think I'll head up myself, actually. It's been a long day."

She headed up the stairs behind her son, already dreaming of bed.

The next day was equally busy; though, to Maddie's relief, completely free of any ghostly interference. It was good just to get back to the normal routine- although the kids seemed pretty content with sleeping in and pretending school didn't exist. Meanwhile, she and Jack did random chores- they went shopping  
for groceries, started processing the newly-caught ghosts, storing data, and re-filling their guns.  
Unfortunately, for all the 'cool' jobs, as Jack called them, involving ghosts or outings to town, there were plenty of the mundane chores that plague all families. There was garbage to take out, rooms to vacuum, and laundry to finish off. Maddie got saddled with the former job, and found her mind going blank with all the ironing and folding. She hated all the fuss clothes required- jumpsuits were such a practical alternative. Finally, after what seemed like hours, all the clothes sat in neat little piles. All that was left was to return them to their respective owners.

Maddie was about to barge into Jazz's room with the girl's clothes, when she heard her children's voices on the other side of the door. The tone made her pause- it was the serious, I-don't-want-to-be-interrupted tone understood universally. She was going to back away from the door and come back later, when she caught the thread of the conversation. 

"...that you were listening," said Jazz, sounding reprimanding. 

"Well, seeing what you were talking about, I think I can be excused. Besides, you're dodging the point, Jazz." 

There was a sigh. "Are you sure you want to do this? What did Tucker think?" 

"Not much. He's always treated Mom and Dad's obsession like a huge joke. He doesn't see what the big deal is." 

"And Sam?" 

Danny's response was delayed. "Er...well, you know Sam. She has 'trust' issues with her parents, so it's kind of hard for her to relate. Besides, why are you so opposed? You're the one who's always going on about how 'lies can hurt relationships' and stuff."

The laundry basket was heavy in her arms, and Maddie knew she shouldn't be listening, but found herself sub-consciously moving toward the door.

"I just want to make sure you're happy," explained Jazz. "I don't want you to feel forced into anything. This is big, Danny, and while it'll have to come out eventually, it should be on your terms." 

_What am I doing?_

Maddie paused, suddenly struck with the similarity of yesterday. Then she'd been hidden in the stairwell, listening to another conversation that obviously wasn't meant to be overheard. 

Sure, it had been different that time- she'd just been trying to protect Jazz, to make sure she wasn't hurt by the ghosts that had been in her company. But that was no excuse for now. Jazz wasn't in any danger- she was just talking to Danny, for goodness' sake! 

She back away quickly, forcing herself not to listen to the conversation any more. She could give Jazz her laundry later. It was hard, to ignore Danny's response, but somehow, Maddie managed to. 

She made it to the end of the corridor, and ducked into the room. She was breathing strangely heavily. Maddie dropped the laundry basket to the ground, and sat on the bed. She felt horrible. 

What had she been doing for the past few weeks? Everything Maddie had done was to protect Jazz- but now that she was looking back, it looked suspiciously like invasions of privacy. Okay, they were _justified_ invasions of privacy, but still. Maddie wanted the gap between Jazz and herself to close, for them to no longer keep secrets from each other. She had felt hurt last afternoon when it was clear they still had a long way to go- but what could she expect when Maddie still followed her daughter around, listening to her conversations and betraying her trust? 

_I can't do this anymore- I don't want to, either.  
_

Maddie nodded resolutely to herself. She realized that if she wanted things to get better, she'd have to take the first step. 

She got to her knees, and opened the bottom drawer of the dresser.

Maddie perched awkwardly on the coach, staring down at the scrapbook and  
electronic key lying on the coffee table.

She felt like she was at the dentist as a kid again- really not wanting to go in, but knowing she had to. The smell of metal and disinfectant was missing, but there was the same knot in her stomach. Maddie kept shifting in place, looking through the door to see if Jazz was coming down the stairs.

She hated admitting that she was wrong; it was one of the traits her daughter had inherited. Maddie was intelligent and confident, but she made mistakes. That was one of the first lessons she'd had to learn as an adult. Of course, admitting those mistakes to others was hard. _Highlighting_ them- by, say, giving your daughter back her creepy scrapbook you'd stolen from her- felt nearly impossible.

Not that she really minded passing on the key to the spectre-deflector. The image of Phantom's spasm-wracked body careening toward the earth made her shudder. Her plan to protect Jazz with the belt had horribly back-fired, even Maddie could readily admit that. In fact, Maddie was surprised that Jazz  
hadn't already asked to have it back. No, it was the scrapbook that she was hesitant to return. It felt like she was willingly giving her son a Playboy magazine.

Still, Maddie knew this was something she had to do, like taking a vaccination. So she'd carefully taken Jazz's scrapbook from its hiding place among Jack's clothes, and found the little electronic key for the spectre deflectors, which she'd kept on her body since. Then she'd gone to Jazz's room  
(hiding the scrapbook under a magazine, in some irrational sense of embarrassment). She'd knocked on the door, pushing it open slightly. "Jazz, I was wondering if we could have a –a talk." 

Usually Jazz would have picked up her mother's hesitation. But she was still in her pajamas, her hair a complete mess, as she ruffled through the many papers and folders on her desk. In other words, she was completely distracted. "Yeah, sure mom. Just give me a few minutes."

"Okay." Maddie paused, feeling awkward. "I'll be down in the living room, when you're ready." 

It had seemed like a good idea at the time. The two of them were practically alone in the house; Jack was absorbed with work in the lab, and had a whole pizza to keep his stomach occupied. Danny seemed to have vanished, disappearing as he so often did. It was the perfect setting for an awkward mother-daughter  
talk. But as the clock ticked by, Maddie's doubts kept coming back. 

_You're going to do this, Maddie. Things will be better once you do.  
_

There was a sound upstairs. Maddie tensed and looked up, but Jazz didn't come down. 

She sighed, and resumed staring at the scrapbook. 

Hesitantly, she reached out a hand, and removed the key from the cover. Maddie then carefully pulled the book towards her, laying it in her lap. She looked covertly around, as though expecting someone to be watching her. There was no one there, of course. Not quite sure what she was doing, Maddie opened the  
cover.

It was still creepy. Phantom's picture still stared up from practically every page, posing against Jazz and Danny and all their friends and family. Maddie wasn't sure she'd ever feel comfortable seeing the ghost placed next to such intimate scenes. Still, it wasn't as bad as last time- Maddie still wasn't quite sure what was going on between Jazz and Phantom, but it wasn't romantic, at least. 

_The glowing eyes are still weird, though, _Maddie couldn't help thinking.

She wasn't quite sure how Jazz could have ever gotten use to their supernatural light, or the whole sense of otherness. But then, maybe she was looking at this wrong. Jazz wouldn't look through this book and see a strange creature, but someone she knew and cared about among other people she saw the same way. It was probably better that way. 

She flicked slowly through the pages, trying to see the pictures as Jazz did. It was difficult. But as she went on, trying to hold down her natural repulsion to the ghost, it got easier. 

It helped that this time, as she went through, she tried to keep positive. She read the various headlines about Phantom saving a bus full of children and catching ghosts with more optimism. There were other pictures, too, which weren't from news cuttings, just like that one Polaroid of Phantom in their lab- though none stood out as much as that one had. Phantom seemed more natural, more relaxed in them- and more human. It reminded Maddie of how he'd looked, lying on the ground defenseless.

She breathed out, relaxing. _You see? You can do this_. A thought struck her, and she perked up. _Who knows? Maybe if Jazz is right, I could talk to Phantom...imagine what we could learn from him! There's probably so much he could tell us about- starting with his aging._

Easing back in her chair, Maddie flipped through the book, feeling more comfortable. Now there were all sorts of possibilities. And when you really read the articles, and looked at the pictures, the scrapbook seemed more  
interesting than creepy. It was like a nature documentary. 

But there was something...off. At first, Maddie couldn't tell what. Something was just niggling at the back of her brain, a sense of familiarity. Then it slowly dawned on her. She'd felt this way the last time she flicked through Jazz's scrapbook. It was that sixth sense, telling her that she was missing something.

But what? Maddie had worked out the ageing thing- it was now so blatantly obvious to her that she wondered how anyone could miss it. But there was something else, she was sure. Maddie hunched herself over the book, examining everything. _What is it?_

Fully engaged, she retraced the pages again, wondering what possibly could be escaping her. Blue eyes searched everything, the little details and notes. Completely absorbed, she worked her way through the whole book- eventually coming to the last filled page, feeling none the wiser. 

This last page was almost blank; there were just two pictures. One was a blurry photo of the ghost boy, looking as cocky as ever, grinning off camera at what was probably some opponent. The other was of Danny and Tucker, in bathing suits, and Tucker's face covered in ice-cream. They were so completely different that it was almost laughable that they'd been paired together.

The feeling in Maddie's head swelled. 

_What is it?_ Maddie asked herself, tracing the photos with her fingers. _What could I possibly be missing?_

Maddie's eyes flicked between the two pictures. Phantom floating in the air. Two teenagers knee-deep in sand. A ghost's cocky smile. Danny's lazy grin for the camera. 

The feeling of familiarity buzzed again. Fully engaged, the researcher's brow furrowed. Something was the same in these two pictures, she was sure. But that  
made no sense- nothing was alike. The background, the context, the people- nothing was the same. _The people especially. I mean, really. One's a dead ghost, and the other two are just a couple of teenagers hanging out._

And that sixth sense in her head seemed to whisper, _look again._

"Mom?"

Maddie jumped, looking up in alarm. She tried to quickly hide the scrapbook to  
the side, out of sight. "Danny! I- I didn't even hear you come home." 

Of course she hadn't- Maddie had been so engaged, Jack could've teleported them to another dimension again, and she wouldn't have noticed. Danny seemed embarrassed, and Maddie remembered the kids' conversation that she'd forced from her mind. "Yeah...sorry. Er, mind if I talk with you?"

Thinking about the conversation she'd planned with Jazz, Maddie was just about say it wouldn't be a great time, when she noticed Jazz drift into view, standing close to her brother. Her hand was on his shoulder- and perhaps even more strangely, Danny didn't try to shrug it off. The boy's whole body was  
tense, and Maddie found herself wondering what was going on. "Of course you can."

Then Danny stepped forward into the living room, Jazz's arm falling to the side. He just hung there, nervously. He looked back at his sister, who gave an encouraging smile. 

Maddie rose to her feet, not really caring about the scrapbook or if Danny saw it. "Danny- are you okay? You seem really nervous." 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." But he was rubbing his neck, which of course meant he _wasn't._

They stood there, as though no one was quite sure what to do next. At least, that's how the two children looked. Maddie just hung there uncertainly, feeling as though she was missing something important- she hadn't wanted todigest the things she'd overheard, but now she was trying to remember their conversation. 

"Yes?" she asked after a few long moments. 

"Er...um," Danny stuttered uneasily. "Well, there's something I have to tell you, and..." 

He gulped, looking completely lost for words. Then, after a silent moment of self-deliberation, he pulled off his shirt. 

Maddie was about to open her mouth and ask something along the lines of 'what are you doing?' when she stopped. Danny had thrown off his T-shirt, leaving his chest bare. Only, it wasn't completely. Wrapped around him, from his shoulder across his torso, was a bandage. Its normally white color was stained the dark brown of old blood. 

Questions dried on her lips as horrible cold fear rose in her. She rushed forward, terror in her eyes. 

"When did this happen?" she demanded. "Why didn't you tell us? Oh, Danny!" 

Anger welled up in her, making her want to yell at Danny. Instead, she pulled off the bandages with careful delicacy, afraid but desperate to see what was underneath. As she unwound the last coil, she felt fear at the amount of blood that had built up. She said, somewhat distantly, "This bandage should have  
been changed hours ago." 

"I know. I got...distracted," Danny answered very faintly. 

Another pair of hands came to help Maddie, taking the bandages from her. Jazz took them easily. Her expression was solemn, though not particularly surprised. Maddie realized that she had known, and added that to the tally of secrets between them. 

Finally, she looked over her son. 

It was horrible. Almost all of his upper-body was covered in an assortment of bruises and scratches, some worse than others. And under the top superficial layer of wounds there was another, of thin white scars. Maddie has no idea when he'd gotten them, but the bitter panic rose higher in her throat. 

The thing that drew the eye, though, was the large gash that stretched from his shoulder across the chest. It wasn't as bad as the blood on the bandages would have suggested, but it was still bad enough. Blood had already begun to clot, disguising the true severity of the wound, but it looked deep and painful.  
"Danny! Look at this! You should have told us immediately- we'll need to get to the hospital! It might be infected!" 

Fear sparked in the boy's blue eyes. "No- no, not the hospital! And- sorry I didn't tell you. Its-" 

"No. No, Danny, I don't want to hear any excuses. That's all I ever get from you. There is no possible way to explain why you didn't tell your father or I about this! You've had it for at least three days, and-" 

"I haven't had it for three days, though," protested Danny, looking half-surprised at his own words. 

"What?" asked Maddie absently, who was already busy inspecting the wound. "Okay, maybe not three days. But it's definitely several days old, Daniel. Jasmine, get me a phone." 

There were odd flecks of green among the congealed blood, something Maddie had never seen before. It was probably a sign of infection. And there was something uncanny about the wound, something which Maddie just couldn't put her finger on...

"Mom." His voice became resolute. "It's not a few days old. I got it yesterday."

Maddie's head jerked upwards, looking at her son. She was somewhat shocked at the blatancy- and pointlessness- of his lie. "Danny, I know something about medical wounds. This has already had several days of healing. Listen, Daniel,I have no idea why you're lying to me, but this is certainly not the time." 

Danny's gaze remained steady. "I'm not lying...for once, I'm not lying." 

Maddie felt struck by the sense of sincerity in his voice. She looked back down at the horrible wound across his chest, tracing the pattern with her finger. _I could be wrong...but how in damnation could Danny heal this fast?  
And where'd he get this cut in the first place?_

She paused, blinking. She'd seen a gash just like this one, and recently. Struggling to remember where, her mind flashed back to yesterday- Phantom laying in the mud and ecto-plasm, his chest slashed open. 

Maddie froze. _That's ridiculous, Maddie. It's just a coincidence. _

She looked at the wound again. _That green- it looks- it looks a lot like ecto-plasm._

The horrible sixth-sense that had hounded her the whole afternoon seemed to become a high-pitched humming in her ears. Random images and memories seemed to get thrown towards her; Danny completely exhausted on the couch, Maddie finding her two children in the lab, a cold bowl of potatoes, Jazz's scrapbook, unexplained behavior and millions of little injuries... 

She noticed, suddenly, that Danny wasn't wearing his specter deflector- despite the fact it had been locked on, and the only key had been in her possession ever since.

Everything seemed to floor her head in a torrent, dizzying her. Maddie felt as though she was being pelted with puzzle pieces, unable to put them together. 

Her voice was almost non-existent when she said, "Danny, what is going on?" 

Jazz, who Maddie had forgotten was there, came forward, and gently led her mother to a chair. If Maddie had been less overwhelmed she would have noticed her give Danny a displeased look. Danny was too anxious to notice it either. Out of the corner of her eye, Maddie saw Jazz pick up her scrapbook, and turn it over in her hands.

"It...it happened a while ago, mom, near the beginning of my freshman year." 

"What happened?" She tried not to sound impatient, but she felt as though shewas missing something obvious, and hated herself for it.

Danny gulped. "Remember the ghost portal? How it wasn't working at first? But Sam and Tucker wanted to see it, anyway..." 

Jazz had stopped flicking through her scrapbook, and was watching Danny now. Maddie knew she should, too, but couldn't help but notice she'd left the book open. It was turned to the same page she'd been looking at before, with the beach and Phantom. The two pictures didn't look so different at this angle. They were both of smiling teenagers, really, even if the context was different. And if you ignored Phantom's supernatural features, he almost looked as normal as the two boys opposite, with hair falling into his face and a cheeky grin. 

"...Sam wanted to get a picture of me inside the portal..." 

Danny and Phantom especially. You wouldn't notice it normally, but their body shapes very similar, both lean and lithe.

"...it didn't work anyway, and it was just going to be for a couple minutes..."

Their faces were a lot alike, too, if you thought about it. Their eyebrows, their noses, even their ears seemed to have a remarkable similarity. 

_Wait a minute._

"You turned it on?" Maddie said sharply, suddenly snapping to attention. "You turned it on while you were inside?" 

Danny nodded guiltily. "It was a mistake." 

Her mind sped, doing the calculations. That much electricity and ecto-plasm would be enough to kill someone. But if it didn't, if the person somehow managed to survive, the ecto-plasm could possibly react with body's  
molecules...

_No. No, that's insane. Nobody could survive an accident like that. And besides, Danny couldn't hide that from me...Jack and I would be sure to notice something like that._

Jack's words from the previous day suddenly rose in her mind; _"...there are plenty of things ghosts do that we never see."_

"Danny...are you trying to tell me that you're Phantom?" Maddie had hoped Danny would laugh, and look astonished. 'What, mom? Are you crazy? Of course not!' But that reaction never happened; instead Jazz tensed besides her. Danny stared at her, mouth open, like a fish. But almost immediately a look of fear returned to his face. Maddie recognized that look. He'd worn it whenever she or Jack discussed Phantom. They'd always thought it meant Danny was afraid of the ghost- but really, he was terrified of them. 

"Mom...I'm sorry. I was just...you're not angry, right?" 

Angry? She just felt numb. "Why did you tell me?" 

That was the first question that had come to mind; seeing the fear Danny felt, Maddie couldn't comprehend why he'd admit this secret to her. How many times had she ranted and raved against Phantom? Threatened him? Shot at him? But the look on her children's face said that it was the last question they were expecting; Danny answered it all the same. "Because...because, you thought my ghost self might be good. Not just Danny, but Phantom, too." 

While part of her mind tried to adjust to Danny calling himself a ghost, the rest of her dealt with everything else. Of course he'd waited until he could be accepted. Last night she'd finally done that; maybe Jazz had told him, or maybe he'd been listening, invisible. _I guess he can do that, if he's a ghost_.

_A ghost. My son's a ghost_. She spoke it in her head, and it sounded odd, not quite believable. "Can you show me?" 

Danny nodded. But first he glanced around nervously, and when he looked at her again, there was a moment of instinctual hesitation. It came from years of hiding, Maddie supposed. Then there was a flash of light; it hung around the teen's waist like a halo, before slowly splitting in two, traveling along his body, changing him as it moved along. When the light arrived at the head and feet, it disappeared, just as suddenly as it had came. 

It was one thing to know something intellectually, another to see it with your very eyes. Everyone knew the Earth was rounded, but it never really hit you until you saw a photograph of a sapphire sphere hanging in space. Similarly, Maddie hadn't realized how real Danny's secret had been until she saw it right before her. Ten seconds ago, a very human, hurt boy had been standing in front of her. Now a supernatural creature was in his place. 

But there were little hints, clues here and there, that made him look less mysterious. He was standing, for one, feet solidly on the ground. In almost all of Maddie's memories of ghosts, they were always floating or flying, and the simple act of standing made Danny seem more human. And even though Phantom's jumpsuit had appeared, completely whole, covering the worst of Danny's injuries, you could still see some bruising on the face. Maddie could also see her son in the ghost- before, that had always been hidden by the glow  
and white hair, but now the familiar nose and body shape were completely clear to her. 

An automatic feeling of mistrust rose in the back of her mind, but Maddie found it fairly easy to push it away. Maybe it was Danny's sweet look of nervousness, so familiar. Or the way his white hair hung messily into his  
face, just like always. 

"Mom?" Jazz asked shakily, and Maddie realized she'd been staring for a long time. "Are you alright?" 

Maddie looked at her two children, and realized everything they must have been through. Suddenly, in one revelation, everything made sense. The behavior, the grades, the secrets...everything. 

"Alright?" She gave a hysterical laugh, and wrapped the two of them in a hug. "Oh, God. No, I don't think I'm alright. But I think I'll make it better."

The End

**Well, that's that.**

**This was great fun to write; maybe the most enjoyable thing I've ever written. It helped that I had such great support- all the reviews, favorites and alerts made me smile. I don't have space to thank individual users, since there are so many, but you were all awesome.**

**I'd especially like to send a big thank you to Kagome51, my wonderful beta. She was there behind me every step of the way, and shaping my story into something legible. *hugs***


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